


Loki

by puffy_pastry



Category: Captain America (Movies), Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Characters will most likely be OCC, F/M, Failed Attempts at Humor, Gen, Loki-centric, More tags as story goes on, Post-Avengers, Slow To Update, Warning: Loki, also sorry about that, first fanfic, non-compliant to everything after The Avengers, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2015-05-21
Packaged: 2017-11-23 17:30:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 24,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/624730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puffy_pastry/pseuds/puffy_pastry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is why the Avengers hate Loki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Loki Lauyfeson Of Asgard, God Of Mischief, Lies And Chaos, Rightful Ruler Of The Nine Realms, Whom All Beings Should Kneel Before

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Amateur Theatrics](https://archiveofourown.org/works/373529) by [galaxysoup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxysoup/pseuds/galaxysoup). 



Three years had passed since Loki's attempt to rule over Midgard had been foiled.

In the aftermath, Loki and Thor had stood before the All-Father's golden throne – Válaskjálf – and Thor had forced him to kneel – oh, the irony – before the All-Father when he refused to do so.

Mother – no, Frigga, the All-Mother – had not been present. Thor had told Loki – after his sentence had been passed – that she had been too stricken with grief to do so. Knowing that she’d failed one of her ‘sons’ was too much for her. And of course, the All-Father did not want her to witness just how far Loki had fallen.

As punishment for his crimes – not only against Midgard but against Jötunheimr and Asgard as well – the All-Father and his best seiðrkonur and two seiðrmenn (because that’s how many men, apart from Loki, use seiðr) bound Loki's seiðr in such a way that he would never be able to cause harm to another creature; be it dead or alive, ever again.

It was terribly boring, disappointing and rude. Loki would never be able to make someone bleed or hear the 'crunch' as their bones snapped with a simple spell. He did not like slaying mindlessly, but the joy of killing one's enemy would be sorely missed.

Thor had spoken then, in his loud and boisterous voice; "Loki should spend time on Midgard, Father, so that he may learn to respect and love her people as I have."

Loki would have laughed were it not for the muzzle over his mouth.

The All-Father agreed but as punishment of his crimes against Jötunheimr, Loki had to be thrown in the darkest bowels of Asgardian prison. It was not all too bad. Loki had been forbidden to have any visitors so Thor had stocked his prison with books upon books; all of which Loki had read countless times before. Nevertheless, Loki continued to re-read the books so that he did not die of sheer boredom or insanity.

After the three years had passed, Loki had been led to the throne room where Odin sat; no sign of the All-Mother once again. Thor stood beside him but went to Loki as soon as the guards left. Odin had said farewell and cast the two of them down to the Godforsaken world with the help of the Tesseract.

Thor had taken him to the Avengers Mansion – previously known as Stark Towers – and told his Midgardians teammates and Nick Fury that Loki was to be staying with them.

Most of his friends objected to this; vehemently, and some offered their own suggestions.

Nick Fury and Agent Romanoff wanted him to be thrown into the deepest, darkest prison they could find. If they couldn't find one deep and dark enough, S.H.I.E.L.D would offer their assistance in building one happily and immediately.

Agent Barton wanted to shoot arrows into Loki's eyes. When Thor turned to look at him in horror and anger, Agent Barton pursed his lips and said that he could also settle for shooting an arrow into just one of his eyes as well. That offer was, thankfully, not taken up by Thor.

Doctor Banner did not have much to say on the matter but his green monster described exactly what it wanted to do to Loki in two words – "HULK SMASH" – and Thor had to fight him off lest Loki become a ragdoll for the monster to play with. He left the room after that; badly shaken and naked.

The good Captain argued against all of them; he said that a prisoner of war should not be treated so harshly and that good men did not bully weaker men or, in this case, weakened Gods.

Thor had disagreed with all their suggestions bar the Captain's and no one dared to argue with him when dark clouds gathered above the Mansion.  
Stark, who had left the room earlier on, came back in with a bottle and glass; he poured himself a drink, swallowed it down in one gulp and said; "Well, this is going to be interesting."

 

For the first few months, Loki was kept under constant watch.

Stark had informed him that his room – a room decorated with green and gold, at Thor's insistence so that Loki could feel at home – had an abundance of cameras and even if he managed to destroy them all, J.A.R.V.I.S would always – always – be watching him.

After Loki learned what cameras were, he took great joy in staring at them with his signature smirk.

The first time he did so, Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff had burst through the door, both of them equipped with their choice of weapons.

"I'm watching you," Agent Barton had hissed, an arrow drawn in his bow and pointed at Loki's chest, "So whatever you're planning, you best stop it now."

Loki had looked up at him and twisted his expression into one of confusion, "Am I not allowed to smile, Agent Barton?"

Loki gave him a smirk then and the pathetic mortal had almost pounced on him in anger but was stopped by his clearly-more-that-just-a-friend friend.

They'd left and Loki took even greater joy to do so much more than smirking on the cameras.

Things that brought much shame to his not-brother and Asgard; "You dishonor the House of Odin, brother, cease these vile displays at once!"

Things that made the good, innocent Captain blush and turn away from Loki whenever they were in the same room.

Things that rankled and rose Agent Barton's suspicions to new heights; "He's doing this so we won't watch him anymore… and when we don't watch him, he'll continue with his plans."

Things that made the green monster emerge – "HULK BLIND" – and wreak havoc to the Mansion; however, that event occurred only once and from then on, Doctor Banner refrained from watching the security tapes of Loki's room.

Things that made Tony Stark – never caught without a drink in his hand – marvel in amazement and constantly badger Loki with questions; "Seriously how do you do that?" or; "That thing… could you teach that to Pepper?"

The only one who showed no emotion to such displays was Agent Romanoff but Loki found what made her snap soon enough.

"Agent Romanoff…" Loki had whispered sinuously at the camera because he knew that she was watching and he smirked while asking; "Would you like to know what Agent Barton and I did while he was under the influence of the Tesseract?"

She had almost broken the door down when she entered the room and attempted to end his life until Thor pried her hands from his neck. He then, proceeded to rattle and shake Loki for the truth, which Loki never gave.

Agent Barton could not look at Loki for more than a second – he could not even stay in the same room as Loki – after the incident.

Of course, as time wore on, those in the Avengers Mansion became accustomed to Loki's antics.

And Loki couldn't have that.

These five mortals and his not-brother were his only forms of amusement.

He hacked into J.A.R.V.I.S's control system and from then on the artificial intelligence referred to him as 'Loki Lauyfeson of Asgard, God of Mischief, Lies and Chaos, rightful ruler of the Nine Realms, whom all beings should kneel before'.

Whenever Thor heard J.A.R.V.I.S speak Loki's name, he would be thrown into a fit of anguish and anger, replying to the artificial intelligence with sentences, such as; "You dare to call Loki a Lauyfeson?" or "Face me, you bodiless coward and I shall smite you down with Mjölnir!" or when he was maudlin, confused and had consumed too much of the Midgardian alcohol, he'd wail; "But how… how can Loki be a Lauyfeson and a son of Asgard? Tell me, faceless man, how?"

Tony Stark managed to reverse the effect and retaliated by programing the artificial intelligence to call him 'Loki Reindeer Games, the God with daddy issues, who couldn't even manage to get a bunch of bitches to kneel'.

Loki would have gotten his revenge, however Tony Stark had then programmed J.A.R.V.I.S to call him 'Loki' or ‘Mr Lauyfeson’ once more and the feud was settled, but only because J.A.R.V.I.S had also been programmed to report back to Tony Stark if Loki tried to do such a thing again.

 

Such tricks continued throughout the months that passed by in the Avengers Mansion. But Loki tired of them soon enough and stopped.

It was then that Loki realized while he had been so immersed in those acts of mischief and had failed to notice that the Avengers now regarded him as a rather touchy friend or a prickly but harmless cat.

He was disgusted and offended by this and set to disperse the notions of such thoughts.

 

It took time.

He had to observe every member of the Avengers – bar Thor, whom he already knew for centuries – carefully. He had to find out their past, what caused them pain, who they loved; everything about them.

And when Loki had gathered all the information he needed, acquired his target and created his strategy, he put his plan into action.


	2. My Star Spangled Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is why the Avengers hate Loki.

For Steve's birthday, Virginia – she’d insisted that she stop calling her Ms Potts – had proposed a birthday bash.

Tony had taken to the idea immediately. A birthday bash was a great excuse for him to wallow in alcohol without Virginia's disapproval. He organized the party even though Steve had opposed to the idea.

"If you're worried about your age, we can keep it a secret, Cap." Tony had assured him, "Minus the seventy years of beauty sleep, you're just a twenty-five year old man injected with super serum. Totally normal."

Steve had still been opposed to the idea.

"Ooh, we can have a 1940's theme!" Virginia had added, she'd turn to look at Steve and asks; "Would you like that?"

She had looked so excited and Steve couldn't bear to dash a woman's happiness so he agreed.

 

The party was in full swing. Songs by Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby and the likes were resounding through the hall in between singers on the makeshift stage that Stark had created.

People – most of them that Steve had never met – were doing the Jive, the East Coast Swing, the Harlem Shuffle and all those other dance moves that Steve remembered but never performed himself.

Almost everyone was dressed in clothes that they thought were from the 1940's. Some of them were dead wrong – no woman that Steve saw wore leather dresses, leather was only permitted to the Military during the war – and some of them were pretty accurate; like the man wearing the houndstooth check jacket.

The only ones who weren't dressed according to the 1940's theme were Steve's teammates – with the exception of Doctor Banner – and Loki, who had wandered off, complaining about a headache. The five of them wore their suits because Tony thought that it would be a great idea to promote the Avengers Initiative to those who disliked it.

Women kept approaching Steve for a dance, with a shy smile and one leg tucked behind the other. He tried to let them down kindly because he didn't want to hurt their feeling but they'd still look rejected and pouted – which left Steve feeling guilty – before walking away.

It was a pity that Steve couldn't get drunk because memories kept pouring into his head; memories he'd managed to block out for so long.

"All right, a week next Saturday at the Stork Club…"

"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?"

He shook his head, wishing he could shake the memories away from his mind and sat down on one of the many tables that had been placed on the outer edge of the hall.

As the night wore on, Steve's comrades joined him at the table. If they had realized why he was so glum, they didn't say a word about it and Steve was thankful for that. They offered him silent comfort; even Tony kept quiet.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" a man spoke over the music, which was gradually toned down so everyone could hear him, "Our last performance for the night! This young dame insisted that she be allowed to sing. Bear in mind this performance was unplanned but how can a man resist such a stunner? Please welcome onto the stage… Peggy Carter!"

Steve's eyes jerked towards the stage.

A woman, dressed in a lovely white dress that accentuated her figure, walked onto the stage. She had beautiful, lustrous brown hair that ended just above her shoulders and her shining brown orbs were looking into his when her red-stained lips curved into a striking, radiant smile.

"Peggy…"

Steve didn't know his voice could sound so broken; like jagged glass.

Peggy – no, not Peggy, Peggy was dead – raised the microphone to her lips and spoke in a soft, kind voice; like the one that haunted Steve's dreams, "This song is for a man I fell in love with seventy years ago..."

She was looking right at him. Steve wanted to run away but he was paralyzed and she closed her eyes and began to sing…

"When the night casts shadow so dark,  
And evil comes to play,  
That's when I shout, that's when I scream,  
Who'll come to save the day?  
In strides a noble man,  
And he fights my fears away,  
He steals my breath and all of my love,  
And leaves before I can say…

Stepping from the lines,  
Here he comes, my Star Spangled Man,  
To save all our lives,  
To set the world alight,  
Standing tall in red, blue and white,  
My Star Spangled Man,

When man turns to monster,  
And takes more than what he needs,  
When fear leaves us defenseless,  
To fight against hate and greed,  
That's when he'll step in,  
And he won't stop until we're all freed,  
But then he'll disappear,  
Before I can thank him for his deeds,

Stepping from the lines,  
Here he comes, my Star Spangled Man,  
To save all our lives,  
To set the world alight,  
Standing tall in red, blue and white,  
My Star Spangled Man,

I've been waiting here; you still owe me a dance,  
My time with you was but a glance,  
And you're taking too long, I'm afraid you'll lose your chance,  
Still, I will love you till the days grow dark,  
Till the world is torn apart,  
You will always and forever remain in my heart,

Though he's not in sight,  
He will come, my Star Spangled Man,  
We'll dance through the night,  
He'll be here in time,  
Standing tall in red, blue and white,  
My Star Spangled Man…"

When she stopped sing, cheers rang from her captivated audience. The man who had introduced her took the microphone from her and said words that didn't register in Steve's mind.

Bruce's voice cut through the thoughts whirling in Steve's head; "She can't be real."

"She is a ghoul." Thor spoke with certainty.

"W-what?"

"Few lurked in the halls of Asgard. Do not worry, my friend," Thor explained, clapping a hand on Steve's shoulder, "I will banish this foul creature into the depths of Hel, though the task may take some time, I will not stop…"

Thor continued to explain how to go about banishing a ghoul but Steve's attention was back to… to her and she was coming towards them and… oh God, what was Steve to do?

"Hello Steve…" she whispered and everyone on the table ceased to speak.

Heaven help him, but she sounded just like Peggy.

"P-Peggy?"

She smiled and nodded, placing a hand on his arm, "Your suit's changed."

Steve gulped, "How?"

She led him to the balcony and from the corner of his eyes; Steve could see his comrades following them.

"The serum, Steve," she said as she delicately placed her hands on the railing of the balcony, "Howard managed to create it again and I… I volunteered to undergo the process."

"You…" this really was Peggy, oh my God, it really was her, "Why?"

"You owe me a dance, Steve," she put one hand on his chest – above his loudly thumping heart – and looked up at him, "Remember?"

Of course, Steve remembered. How could he ever forget? He would constantly have dreams of her showing him how to dance.

Steve nodded, cupping Peggy's jaw in his hand and placing the other around her waist to pull her closer, "I love you…" he murmured.

He lowered his head and his lips were a millimeter away from Peggy's when she pulled away. She used the hand that rested on his chest to shove him away gently and her lips twisted into a smirk that didn't suit her.

"Please, Captain…" her tone was mocking, cruel, "Let's not get too carried away."

And suddenly her complexion turned pale and she grew taller; her eye color changed from brown to green – an icy, venomous green – and her shape shifted until someone completely different was standing beside him.

The ability to speak was lost to Steve but someone else spoke the words for him.

"Loki." Clint snarled; he had a bow and arrow between his hands, ready to shoot when he was given the order.

The others trailed behind him.

"Brother…" Thor looked as heartbroken as Steve felt, "We are… how? Father sealed your seiðr away."

Loki clucked his tongue, "You never listen, Thor." he scolded, "The All-Father did not seal my seiðr away, he merely lessened the ways I can use it."

"Why, Loki?" Thor asked then, "Why would you do such a thing? We are your friends!"

"You are not my friends," Loki informed in coolly, "Nor I, yours. You thought this true. I merely sought to correct such foolishness."

Thor growled and above them, the rumble of thunder grew louder, "Why, Loki?"

"I just told you."

Loki didn't even blink an eye when Thor raised Mjölnir.

"Choose your answer carefully, brother," Thor warned him as lightning brightened the dark sky, "So as to not raise my anger further."

Loki stared at him without a hint of fear in his eyes and Thor raised Mjölnir higher.

"Because I'm Loki," he answered, "And I do what I want."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Virginia is Pepper's real name.
> 
> I did look up songs, dance moves and fashion from the 1940's but I'm not sure if I got it right, sorry for any mistakes.
> 
> The reason Loki knows about Steve and Peggy is because he hacked into the archived files of 1942 and because Steve would mumble about it sometimes while he was sleeping.
> 
> Though, I'm not very good at songwriting, the song that Loki sings as Peggy was meant to sung by Peggy (I had this whole story planned out where she's waiting at the Stork Club for Steve even though she knows he won't be there and everyone else around her is happy and dancing).
> 
> I'm sorry about causing Steve so much pain.
> 
> This used to be the other half of Chapter 1 but then I decided to cut it down because I want every chapter to have a least 1,000 words.
> 
> Also, I’m sorry for any mistakes. Please point out them out if you see them. Thank you!
> 
> The next chapter name is: When You Gaze Long Into An Abyss, The Abyss Also Gazes Into You
> 
> Thanks for reading! 


	3. When You Gaze Long Into An Abyss, The Abyss Also Gazes Into You

They’ve forced him to sit down on a cold and metal chair and surrounded him like the dwarves of Svartálfaheimr would surround a pile of gold.

His arms and legs have been bound to the chair as a precaution that they need not have taken.

Loki isn’t going anywhere. There is no place else in the Nine Realms where he would rather be.

It is truly a pity that the good Captain has stumbled away – white, despite his golden skin, shaking and tearing up – to the sparring hall two floors down.

The celebrations had come to a halt, all the guests had been evacuated; frowning and staggering into the elevator and sprawling onto the pavement around the Avengers Mansion. They do not seem to care that the rain – which is yet to stop since Loki shattered his illusion of the Captain’s darling – is soaking them from head to toe.

It does not matter. They are not of Loki’s concern.

“We should put him back in the containment cell.” Agent Barton growls and he still hasn’t relaxed his grip on his arrow and bow.

Loki smirks. It has brought him great joy that Agent Barton has decided to mention that pathetic excuse of a containment cell.

“I have fond memories of that cage… I seem to remember pushing its button and watching it fall away…” Loki turns his lips down into a frown and twists his brows up to show those that surround him that he is confused, “But… I believe I was not in the cage at that time.”

The growl that escapes from Thor’s lips is the rumble of thunder that sounds above the Avengers Mansion.

Loki makes sure to deepen his frown, “Perhaps my memory has faded over time… such a tragedy. I would love to remember who fell fr-”

“Enough, Loki!” Thor’s loud voice interrupts and it’s filled with anguish and despair.

There might have been a time when Loki would have been moved by such emotions, but such a time no longer exists.

“And I also seem to recall stabbing a man… who was that man?” Loki pretends to be immersed in his thoughts before exclaiming, “How strange… I cannot remember whom I s-”

“What good will come from this, Loki?” Thor demands to know; his fingers are digging into Loki’s arms and his face is mere inches from Loki’s, “Nothing, not one good thing, will come from this, brother.”

There was once a time when his stupid, gullible, oaf of a not-brother would have demanded that Loki ceased using such cruel words. And if Loki had continued, Thor would have muzzled his Silvertongue.

But times change.

Thor still remains a stupid and gullible oaf but now he has the patience of a wise man that he never used to practice or be and a kindness that his former self never displayed.

“Brother… please…” Thor continues, his voice defeated, “I beg you to hold your tongue.”

It’s truly, truly saddening to see the mighty Thor pleading.

Loki may or may not have rolled his eyes at Thor’s words. Nevertheless, he chooses to stop teasing Thor and leans against the back of the chair.

Thor relaxes visibly; he lets his head fall and moves away, “You have my thanks, brother.”

“I’m not your brother.” Loki reminds him.

Thor’s shoulders sag and he sighs; “What has happened to you, Loki? You are not the brother that I once knew.”

He says those words as if he truly believes that Loki really was his brother; as if Loki is still his brother.

“Friedrich Nietzsche was a Midgardian philosopher.” Loki informs Thor.

His not-brother glances up at him in befuddlement. Loki casts his gaze over the people in the room and he can see that the others in the room are also puzzled.

“One of his more memorable quotes was; ‘when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you’. Of course, this quote has been taken out of context but-”

“Yeah, I really don’t understand why you’re quoting Friedrich Nietzsche, Rudolph.” Stark cuts in, taking a sip from the glass he’s holding.

Loki chooses to ignore him and carries on; “Some never catch a glimpse of the abyss in their lifetime. And I would say that the good Captain is one of them but I do believe he’s caught a glimpse of such an abyss before…”

Agent Barton’s lips twitch and Loki has to bite back the urge to smirk.

“Others gaze into the deep, darkness of the abyss but they are far too noble – far too golden – to let it change them…” Loki pauses, “And such a creature is you, Thor. You have glimpsed into the abyss and you’ve all but glorified what it stands for. But the golden son of Asgard cannot be changed and so you have looked away with ease.”

Thor tries not to react but Loki notices how his nostrils flare at the hint of his former self and he almost smirks again.

“Then there are those who have gazed into the abyss, found that it gazes back and though they look away…” Loki’s eyes fall on Doctor Banner, “A part of the abyss will forever remain within them.”

The Doctor cannot meet his gaze and yet again Loki has to restraint himself from smirking.

Slowly Loki moves his eyes towards Agent Barton; “And there are those…” he says, “Who’ve looked into the abyss and found it liberating… freeing them from life’s greatest lie.”

Loki has always thought of himself to be a self-controlled creature; but this smirk is really testing his limits.

“Agent Romanoff is a rare specimen…” Loki informs them and though his gaze remains on Agent Barton, he can see the little spider tilt her head up, “She’s blessed with the ability to sneak and creep and slink in and out of the abyss whenever she pleases but this leaves her ledger dripping with red.”

Agent Barton snaps; “So what did you do, huh?” he snarls, “Did you embrace the abyss with open arms and make sweet love to it all night long? Asked it to call you Sugar Daddy?”

“Some have fallen into the abyss, Agent Barton…” and although Loki’s gaze remains on the agitated Agent Barton, he knows that Thor is remembering his fall from the Bifrost, “B-”

“Mmm…” Stark interrupts once more, finishing his drink, “I fell into an abyss once.” he pours himself yet another drink and takes a sip, “A Russian girl I met in… London? China?” he shakes his head as if to erase all memory of the Russian girl, “But I came out… eventually.” Stark’s lips turn down to form a grimace as he adds; “With a couple of sores… and I just want to clarify that I am completely, wholly, absolutely clean now.”

“And what about you, Loki?” Agent Romanoff asks, ignoring Stark’s ramblings; her voice is even and her expression reveals none of her thoughts but she is standing with her feet apart and arms crossed; defensive or holding back anger, “Did you fall into an abyss?”

Loki’s head is lowered but he looks up to meet the eyes of the Avengers, “Why, Agent Romanoff…” and he finally, finally allows his lips to curve into a smirk, “I am the abyss.”

They stare at him with blank faces and because Loki is the God of Mischief, Lies and Chaos or simply because he can, Loki lets the smirk leave his lips; clears any and all hint of self-satisfaction from his face, opens his eyes wide to appear innocent and chooses to say:

“Ah, I remember who I stabbed… it was Agent Coulson…”


	4. There's A Shooting Star, Make Your Wish

The glass doors would have shattered to pieces if Thor had swung them open. But somehow they seemed to sense Thor’s darkening mood and magically opened, saving themselves from a world of pain.

If Thor was not in such a grim mood, he would have spent a few minutes marveling at the ingenuity of Midgardians but he is in a grim mood and right now he feels as if those glass doors are mocking him for escaping his wrath.

‘Ha, look! The mighty Thunderer cannot even strike down a door of glass!’

Thor glowers at the door until he realizes he’s glowering at doors and growls before stepping onto the balcony.

The rain patters and splashes onto his armor, sliding down the metal and curving around the engraved designs. It rests in tiny droplets upon his hair and even tinier droplets upon his lashes and beard.

In an attempt to soothe the roaring thunder begging to be released, and heal the wounds that have reopened and are aching inside of him, the rain completely drenches him under the cover of water.

Thor exhales and looks over the city. It’s staring right back at him with lanterns that never seem to burn out and signs that lead to nowhere.

He misses Asgard. He misses his home.

He misses the ever golden halls, Idunn’s garden, the sparring halls, the fields, the forests, the mountains, the festivals and the feasts, his friends, his Mother, his Father; he even misses his Father’s court and his old tutors and the dusty, old library.

But most of all, Thor misses his little brother.

The rain has done a marvelous job of reigning Thor’s temper in but it has also put him in such miserable and depressed state and…

And Thor knows that his brother is still inside that emotionless and cruel creature but he doesn’t know how to get him back. He doesn’t know… and he’s not sure if he can do it; if he can bring Loki back.

And it pains him to know that he’s failed Loki. Failed him so many times and in so many ways, that Loki – his little brother – has hidden himself behind a mask that seems untouchable and built a wall around himself that has proven to be unbreakable.

Thor rests his arms atop the railing and places his forehead upon his open palm.

Right now, Loki has been unbound from the chair and allowed to wander the halls of the Mansion once more because he had not committed any unlawful deeds apart from ‘hacking’ – Thor cannot decipher the meaning of this word – into S.H.I.E.L.D’s archives; a deed that the son of Stark has committed on countless occasions.

“Skulking doesn’t suit a God.”

Thor straightens up immediately; “Lady Widow.” he greets the woman with a nod after he’s composed himself.

The Lady Widow returns his nod with one of her own and steps onto the balcony as well, holding a black contraption over her head that prevents the rain from reaching her.

“Midgardians are one of the cleverest creatures I have seen throughout the Nine Realms. Truly, your tiny contraptions are the most wonderful and amusing creations.”

A wry smile upturns the tips of Lady Widow’s full lips; “This is an umbrella.” she informs him.

“Though your umbrella is a most wonderful and amusing creation,” Thor begins, “I must know; why do you hide from the rain, Lady Widow?”

Lady Widow replies with the most simplest of answers, “Because I don’t want to get wet.”

Thor nods in understanding; “My Mother did not like getting wet either and she loathed to see her children drenched in the rain as well,” Thor smiles at a memory, “When we were younger, Loki and I would always…”

Be it a summer shower or a winter downpour, Thor and Loki would always try to escape the watchful gaze of their handmaidens and run outside to play in the rain.

The Lady Widow stands beside Thor as he turns away from her to look over the city once more.

She does not offer him words of comfort or a soothing hand to ease his pain and Thor is thankful for that. Her presence is a comfort enough; he does not need or want more.  
He needs to be strong and patient if he wants his little brother back.

“How does the Captain fare?”

“He’ll be okay.” the Lady Widow assures him, “A memory can’t hurt him so long as he lets it remain a memory and nothing more.”

She is talking about the Captain, Thor knows this, but he also knows that she is suggesting that he do the same. Thor bristles and jerks up to glare down at her.

“I will not abandon my brother, Lady Widow.” he does not mean for his voice to sound so ominous but that is how the words lash out from his lips.

“And if he’s not your brother?”

“Loki is my brother!” his voice has grown more threatening, “He has always been my brother and he will always, always remain my brother. It would be wise if you do not question this again.”

She does nothing but blink and Thor realizes that he’s just threatened a fellow teammate and a friend.

“I… you have my most sincere apologies, Lady Widow.” he swallows down the last drops of rage that reside within him, “I did not mean to lose my temper.”

The Lady Widow blinks once more, “I know.”

Thor sighs and moves to the position he was in before he lost his temper.

“You know…” Lady Widow clears her throat delicately, “We, Midgardians believe that if you wish upon a shooting star, that wish will come true.”

Thor tilts his head to meet her eyes as a signal for her to carry on.

She points at a bright light that is soaring among the stars that shine through the clouds and drops of rain.

“There’s a shooting star,” she tells him, “Make your wish.”

And then she leaves him.

Thor gazes at the star that is flying across the sky with great speed and watches it disappear from his view.

He has made his wish.

 

The next morning, Thor is eating from a box of Poptarts when the son of Barton and the man of Iron stagger into the kitchen sleepily. They spend a few minutes in comfortable silence as Barton makes himself a cup of coffee and Stark mixes himself a drink, begging them not to tell the Lady Pepper that he’s having a drink so early in the morning.

Thor and the son of Barton assure him that they will not inform Lady Pepper of his drinking habits but Stark feels the need to tell them why he needs this drink.

“I have a meeting with the Board of Directors at Stark Industries; which is strange because Pepper is the CEO now, and some crazy scientist believed he had breakthrough on the theory of black holes so Banner and I stayed up all night, trying to find out if it true…” he takes a deep breath as well as a sip from his glass, “Turns out it wasn’t a breakthrough a-”

“Son of Stark,” Thor stops him, “It is not necessary for you to explain yourself to us. You have my word that I will not inform the Lady Pepper and I always keep my word.”

Stark looks past him, at Barton, and asks, “What about you, Legolas?”

“Call me Legolas one more time and I just might.”

“Me?” Stark points to himself and widens his eyes, “I would never.”

Barton says something that is muffled by him taking a sip of his coffee.

Another comfortable silence descends upon them and Thor resumes eating his Poptarts.

This silence is so comfortable that they do not register the scream that echoes through the Mansion.

“That sounded like a child…” Stark comments offhandedly as he takes yet another sip.

Barton nods, “Came from Loki’s room…”

The three of them freeze as Stark’s and Barton’s words register in their brains and then they’re running towards Loki’s room.

The Captain, Lady Widow and Doctor Banner are already there and trying to pry the door open.

“J.A.R.V.I.S…” Stark calls out to his faceless and all-knowing friend; “Talk to me.”

“The cameras in Mr Lauyfeson’s room have malfunctioned and the circuits in the doors have blown out, sir.”

“Wire the circuits from Thor’s door to Loki’s,” Stark commands as the others continue trying to open the door; he presses a few buttons on a small screen that flashes on the wall, “And see if you can get a visual now.”

“The circuits from Thor’s room have also blown out,” J.A.R.V.I.S informs them, “And the feeds still aren’t getting any visual from the room, sir.”

Another scream sounds from the room. His friends double their efforts to open the door but Thor has a better idea. He pushes them aside, calls for Mjölnir and swings the hammer down on the door; his blow ends up taking out the entire wall but somehow, the door still stands.

The Avengers rush into the room. There is no sign of a struggle or torture in the room. And as the debris settles, they catch a glimpse of…

“I… I demand to know who you are and why you’ve taken me!”

A pair of venomous green orbs glare back at them but they are also filled with fear. Those eyes rest upon a child’s face but they are unmistakable.

Mjölnir slips from Thor’s hand and lands on the floor with a heavy ‘thud’; denting it. Thor stumbles towards the bed; he falls to his knees and stares at the child who is drowning in colors of green, black and gold.

“Who are you?”

Thor knows this voice – this child – from memories of happier times; racing through the golden halls of Asgard, stealing Idunn’s apples, running from handmaidens and dancing in the rain...

“Loki?”


	5. Five Adults & A God - The World's Greatest Superheores -  Don't Know How To Handle A Child

“That is Loki!” Thor yells for what seems like the thousandth time, “Do you think that I would not recognize my own brother?”

They’ve been standing in the hallway for about one hour – fifty-six minutes, thirty-one seconds and counting to be precise – discussing how to handle the situation; while Loki sits in his room, and they still haven’t gotten anywhere.

Stark holds his hands up as if to show the Asgardian he is unarmed, “I just think that a few centuries would blur your memories a l-”

Doctor Banner rubs his temples, murmuring the words; “I should have gone back to India. I should have never left India in the first place.”

He’s decided, wisely, to stay out of the discussion but is now thinking back on all the unwise decisions he’s made in the past; like agreeing to join the Avengers Initiative.

“My memory is perfectly clear, son of Stark!” Thor growls as he paces back and forth, “Loss of memory may be common in Midgardians but I am a God. Not a tiny Midgardian.”

Stark plays wounded, “Ouch…” he puts a hand over the electromagnet in his chest, “That hurt.”

“If you want to live to see tomorrow, do not play with me, son of Stark.” Thor warns him.

“We should wait until Director Fury arrives.” Doctor Banner mumbles from his dark corner – Natasha had informed S.H.I.E.L.D of the situation immediately – but his words are ignored.

Stark moves his neck back slightly and his eyebrows rise as he blinks, “Are you implying that you can take me down? Because, trust me, you cannot take me down.”

Thor lifts his hand up and Mjölnir listens to his call, “Shall we see if your claim is true?” 

They’re chest to chest – more like chest to face – and clearly ready to fight when the Natasha intervenes.

“Have any of you realized that this might be a trick?” she asks; the two of them freeze and glance at her, “Loki’s tried to break us up before and he could be doing it again.”

“Nay, Lady Widow.” Thor shakes his head as he moves away from Stark, “It is the wish I made upon the shooting star. The Norns have been so gracious enough as to grant it.”

Stark’s eyebrows arch higher, “Let me get this straight… you wished that Loki would turn into a kid?”

“I wished that I would have my brother back!” Thor retorts and he looks uneasy as he hesitantly adds; “Though I did not wish for him to be a child… but-”

“So you think that wishing on a shooting star made your wish come true?”

There is silence in the room.

“Aye.” Thor nods.

“Well…” Stark turns to look at the others, “It’s clear that he’s lost his marbles, if he had any to begin with… I wholeheartedly agree with Tasha. The Rhinoceros Beetle’s trying to bring us down to the stock levels of Hammer Industries, maybe even lower.”

“Don’t call me that.” Natasha warns Stark in a monotone.

At the same time, Clint says; “So we’ll put him in a cell and wait until he cracks.”

Thor growls and Clint sees his muscles flex before he throws his hammer away; probably because he wouldn’t be able to stop smashing the hammer down on anyone and anything in his path if Clint carries on. It flies past them and into Loki’s room.

“Whoa, hold it Agent Barton.” Captain America puts one hand up; he’s been watching everyone – Stark and Thor – fighting, most likely looking at the situation from all angles, “Even if it is Loki, I’m not comfortable with placing a child in jail.”

“I’m not sure if you remember this, Cap…” Clint growls, “But this is the same child that dressed up in the skin of your sweetheart.”

Clint doesn’t say it to be rude or to silence the Captain, he says it to remind him of what Loki is capable of, but it ends up doing all three. The Captain tilts his head up, raising his chin and then gives Clint a sharp nod, before pursing his lips and moving into a dark corner as well.

“Put him in a cell.” Clint speaks after everyone falls silent, “Let’s see what happens.”

Thor raises his arm. Mjölnir breaks through the door of Loki’s room and flies into his waiting palm. He begins spinning the hammer, keeping his unblinking and narrowed eyes on Clint while doing so.

“Tho-” Loki’s head poke out from the crumbling wall; he looks like he’s in shock – eyes widening in disbelief and fear – but Loki is one of the best actors Clint has ever seen, “Is that… is that really you, brother?”

That one word – ‘brother’ – is clearly one of the Thunderer’s weaknesses; he has many – none that affect him much – but that word is one of the greatest. It’s an amazing feat that he’s managed to live so long, even if he is a ‘God’.

Thor lowers his arm and rushes to Loki; he seems to have forgotten that this is the same… man – child? – that stabbed him.

Stark rolls his eyes and leans back against the wall as Loki hesitantly steps into the hall. He’s wrapped a green sheet around himself because, obviously, no one has clothes that fit him.

“Aye, Loki… it is me.”

The kid is unable to hide the suspicion from his face – oh, he is good – and he’s still looking suspicious when he nods towards the rest of them; a silent demand to know who they are.

If Loki really has turned into a kid, at least he’s turned into a smart one but Clint supposes that’s because there has to be a smart one in the family; even if he is adopted.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Stark clears his throat; he pushes himself off the wall, holding a glass and Clint would really like to know how he managed to get himself a drink without moving, “We are the Avengers Five.” before anyone can say anything Stark decides to add; “Doth Mother know thou hast wandered so far from home? Thou hast been a most naughty Lord. Verily, thou deserveth a hard spanking on thy bottom.”

Mjölnir is raised once again as Thor’s anger rises, “You dare?”

“Um…” Tony glances around the room like he doesn’t have a care in the world, “Yes, I dare.”

“Gather your belongings, Loki,” Thor commands without taking his eyes of Stark, “We leave at once.”

A wretched sob escapes from Loki’s throat; “What belongings?” he cries as tears well up in his eyes, “I… I don’t even know what – where we are, why you are so old and who these people are! I want to go h-where are Mother and Father?”

He wipes his nose with the back of his hand; refusing to let the tears fall and oh, he is really good because Clint can see the Captain and Doctor Banner weakening under his act and the tears of an ‘innocent’ child.

This is why Clint doesn’t like children; they are a liability and a weakness to almost everyone he knows. The only people that Clint knows to be immune to an ‘innocent’ child are: himself, Natasha and Director Fury.

As if he’s heard his name by some arcane calling, Director Fury steps into the hall.

“I got a call from Agent Hill, informing me that five adults and a God – the world’s greatest superheroes – don’t know how to handle a child. I don’t care if it’s a human child or the child of Gods, y-”

Loki interrupts him and everyone turns to look at him because, with a voice laced with happiness and confusion, he exclaims; “Father!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um... I'm not sure if Thor is a God or just a demi-God but he's going to be God in this.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	6. Tony Would Have Rather Suffered Through The Board Meeting Instead... Maybe

All eyes fall on the kid and they remain on him after he’s declared Fury as his Father.

Nothing – not even the world’s most exotic beauties, a new scientific discovery, a most imminent and impending danger to the world – would be able to convince Tony to leave the hall at this very moment. And nothing would ever wipe Fury’s expression from his memory.

Fury had frozen as soon as the word ‘Father’ left Loki’s lips and his eye – the one that isn’t covered – had widened slightly.

Even if Tony’s memory was erased somehow; he would have woken up in a dark and smelly alley and wondered why a dark man with an eye-patch who looked so disbelieving – scared even – was the only memory his mind could conjure.

Tony is beginning to warm up to the kid. He thinks he can forgive him for the whole window-throwing fiasco if he can get Fury to look like that one more time.

“Brother…” Thor starts in a blank, slightly horrified, voice; “Our Father lost his right eye in the war, not his l-”

“Kid…” Fury cuts in with a clipped tone; he opens his mouth, purses his lips and glances away for a second before looking back at the kid, “Do I look like your Father?”

Loki doesn’t look too sure of his exclamation any more, he cowers behind Thor’s legs and replies; “N-no… but my Father has also lost his e-”

“Was your Father black?” Fury demands to know bluntly.

“N-no but he knows seiðr… he’s the most knowledgeable and powerful of seiðrmenn and he has drunk from the Well of Urðr a-and he can shift his form and t-”

Fury’s legs are in line with his shoulders, his arms are folded behind his back and he has the sternest expression that Tony has ever seen when he says; “I’m not your Father, kid.”

Loki shuts up. Fury stares at him and Loki wraps his tiny fingers into Thor’s leather pants when Fury’s eye continues to focus on him.

Fury looks away, “Captain Rogers!”

“Sir.” the ninety-five – that’s five years from a hundred – year old virgin steps forward and salutes Fury.

“What’s the situation?” Fury demands to know.

“Sir, the…” even the Captain falters while trying to explain what the situation is, “… the enemy has turned into a child.”

“I can see that.” Fury speaks through gritted teeth, “How did this happen?”

“Enemy?!” Loki seems to have forgotten his fear of Fury; he moves away from Thor and closer to Cyclops – and if that nickname ever slips from Tony’s tongue, he’ll be a dead man – clutching the green sheet tightly, “Does this mean you’ve taken me hostage? My Father will ride into this den of evil upon Sleipnir and smite you all down with the might of Gungnir!”

At the same time Thor yells, “Loki is not our enemy! He is my brother!”

The kid turns to look at him; tears of betrayal swimming in his eyes because he’s clearly misheard Thor’s words, “Y-you have sided with them? You have betrayed me?”

Thor drops to his knees and wraps his fingers around Loki’s shoulders, shaking him slightly, “I would never, never betray you Loki! Do you hear? I would never betray you.”

Thor and Loki’s words fly through one ear and out the other for Tony.

“Tell me why, then, did you say ‘our enemy’ and not your enemy?”

“Because they are my friends!”

“And I am their hostage therefore you have sided with them and you have betrayed me!”

“I just swore I would never betray you!”

“I don’t even know if you are Thor!”

“Did you not just see Mjölnir rise to my call?”

Tony thinks that this might have been how Thor and Loki used to be when they were younger.

“It could have been a trick!”

“I know not the ways of seiðr, brother! You know this!”

“And therein lays the problem, for how do I know if you truly are my brother if you could just as well be a seiðrkonur or a seiðrmenn in disguise?”

“But I am your brother!”

It is at this point in the mess that Tony realizes he needs to refill his glass because only three thoughts are in his usually crowded mind, and they are;

Thor has really large hands.

Either that or Loki is a midget.

Or it just might look that way to Tony because he’s never seen a kid this close before.

Tony thinks that the third thought is the right one. But the longer he stares at the large hand dwarfing Loki’s tiny shoulder, the more Tony’s mind changes.

After a few minutes of contemplating which of his three theories are correct and not getting anywhere, Tony decides he’s thought enough for one day. In fact he’s done so much thinking that he can no longer attend the board meeting at Stark Industries.

This is a real disappointment because Tony was totally looking forward to that board meeting. Really, he’d spent so much time contemplating whether he should wear his black Armani tie or the Gucci one, which is also black.

Pity. He’ll have to call Pepper and tell her t-

“Sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice speaks over Thor and Loki’s cries, “Miss Potts is currently waiting outside. Shall I let her in?”

“No!” Tony says sharply, “Tell her something came up! I can’t make it to the m-I’ll make it up to her.”

“Anthony Stark!” a voice calls from around the corner and Tony winces.

Tomorrow, Tony will dedicate the whole day to discover how people manage to surpass J.A.R.V.I.S and all the security around the Mansion. But today he will have to suffer.

“You are going to that meeting, even if I have to drag you there in your pyja-oh, you really are busy.”

Pepper – lovely as always in a conservative dress – glances around the room and rests her eyes on a distraught Loki.

Tony is still not used to feeling this protective over anything other than his creations.

“Why… do you have a kid in here?” she asks hesitantly, almost like she doesn’t want to know but she can’t stop herself from wanting to know.

Loki turns his head in her direction. He scrutinizes her with a sharp eye – Tony gets the urge to step in front of Pepper to stop Loki from looking at her – and deems her worthy enough to be regarded as a friend. He clambers over to her, takes one of her hand in his and he brings it up to his lips – for a second Tony thinks he’ll spit acid on her or something – and he kisses it!

Pepper looks pleased. Tony is not amused.

“My Lady…” Loki begins.

“Yeah… buddy?” Tony cuts in with one eyebrow raised, “She’s not your Lady; she’s my Lady. Hands off.”

Loki ignores him. Pepper gives him a warning glance. Tony is even more un-amused than he was before.

“My Lady…” Loki repeats, “Please, forgive me for my state of undress. Had I known you were coming, I would have commissioned the finest of robes and armor to be worn by all.”

It’s an insult to the rest of them but before Tony can speak against it, Loki gives Pepper a winning smile.

“You, my Lady, look absolutely ravishing.”

Christ, but that kid is really laying it on thi-wait… did he just say he wanted to ravish Pepper?

Oh, this is so not on.

“Seriously? Am I the only one who heard that… ravishing? He wants to ravish Pep. Who even uses that word anymore? Ravishing. It sounds too much like radish… like he wants to ravish a radish or something…” Tony emphasizes the word ‘ravish’ a lot but no one seems to be listening to him.

Tony has noticed this happens often… too often for his liking in fact.

He’ll find a solution to this problem as soon as he finds one to improve the security around the building.

“Ah!” Loki exclaims, “So you are known as the Lady Pep! Why, it is a most wonderful name indeed!”

“It’s Pepper, actually.” Tony informs him.

The kid doesn’t even falter.

“Pepper is just as beautiful as the name Pep, if not more!” he declares, looking and acting far too excited for a name.

“Why, thank you.” Pepper smiles at him.

She seems to like the Shakespearean talk.

Fine, if Pepper likes Shakespearean talk, Tony will give her Shakespearean talk.

“Lady Pepper, thou hair is as radiant as the Sun… nay, ‘tis far more radiant than the Sun! ‘Tis the most radiant thing I have ever seen in my life. Thou skin glows brighter than the moon and thou hair is most luscious. And thou bosoms look truly wonderful in thy dress!”

At the beginning of his speech, Pepper looked amused.

At the end? Not so much.

Perhaps Tony should have left out the ‘bosom’ part.

“You dare to comment on a Lady’s bosoms!” the brat – because he most definitely can’t be classified as a kid – is outraged, “Such indecent words should not befall a Lady’s ears! You dare to call yourself a man?”

“I never called m-”

“I have no time to listen to your squabbling nonsense!” Loki cuts in when Tony tries to correct him, he then proceeds to inform Tony of all the things that can and cannot be said in front of a Lady, in full detail.

Tony would have rather suffered through the board meeting instead… maybe.


	7. There Are Few That Can Rein Their Anger In, Control Their Thirst For Revenge, And Now Loki Is One Of Them

As Loki rages at Tony for his ‘bosom’ comment, Natasha observes him.

There was once a time when Natasha could easily discover what Loki’s schemes were but now Loki has become someone who can mask their emotions, hide their desires and conceal their true goal and this makes it near impossible for Natasha to determine whether or not he really has turned into a child.

His stance doesn’t give him away. He looks like any angry child – any angry person – would; fists clenched, shoulders drawn and tensed, feet apart and the rest of his tiny body drawn as tight as a bowstring.

The same goes for his expression – eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowed, nose flared, lips twisted into a snarl – it reveals nothing apart from showing that he’s angry at Stark.

“Please tell me you’re not falling for this.” Clint whispers from beside her, “Not you of all people.”

“If Gods exist… well then, who knows, maybe shooting stars really do make wishes come true. Maybe he really is just a kid.”

Clint scoffs, “That kid is the God of Lies, Mischief and Chaos, Nat. And if that isn’t enough, friendly reminder that he’s also tried to take over the world with an alien army.”

“I know.” Natasha assures him, “I don’t trust him but I’m just saying that there’s a good chance he really is just a child.”

Clint scoffs again.

He hasn’t been the same since Natasha knocked him out from under the influence of the Tesseract.

There’s minor differences in his behavior; not enough for anyone else but Natasha to take notice.

It must have been horrible, having control of your thoughts but not of your mind. To have no defense against such a powerful weapon, no matter how hard or how long you’ve been trained. To have something taken from you; something that everyone has – the rich, the poor, the bad and the good - to have your beliefs, opinions and ideas stolen from you and then be forced – no, he wasn’t forced, it had been worse – to believe in something else.

“Freedom is life’s greatest lie!” Clint yells out.

Everyone falls silent. Thor glares at Clint but Clint has his eyes trained on Loki’s small and tense form.

Very slowly, Loki turns around. Natasha expects him to be smirking and shedding the appearance of innocence as he turns, but he doesn’t.

Loki’s jaw – not yet as defined as it is when he’s older – is clenched and he seems far more strung out than he was before.

“What did you say?” he demands to know.

“Freedom is life’s greatest lie.” Clint repeated, “That’s what you think, don’t you? You sick f-”

Within a second, Loki’s expression of anger morphs into one of confusion, “Why would I think that? What is life without freedom? It is nothing. Freedom is… you cannot contain freedom nor can force freedom – the freewill, the choices, the liberty AND the independence – to hide behind a veil of lies! Who in the… what, in the name of Odin’s Ravens, could have given you that idea?”

It’s quiet again.

It is in this moment that Natasha sees – not with her eyes but in her mind – the seed of doubt that has planted itself into Clint’s mind. A seed that will grow – though it will take a long, long time – and eventually convince Clint that Loki has really turned into a child.

“Oh this is most wonderful,” Loki cries in a sarcastic voice, “Not only am I being held hostage and have been betrayed by my brother but my kidnappers also believe in the most nonsensical things! Could this day get any worse?”

Truth be told, the seed has also been planted in Natasha’s mind as well.

They’ll just have to wait and see was happens because right now they’re either walking into Loki’s trap or dealing with a child.  
If this really is one of Loki’s trick; they’re prepared – as prepared they can be when dealing with this trickster. At least they’re not stumbling blindly this time.

“I have not betrayed you, brother.” Thor mumbles, looking sullen and determined to make Loki believe him, “And these brave warriors are not your enemies, they’re your friends.”

“Speak for yourself.” Clint snarls, “That…” he glares at Loki who moves closer to Thor under Clint’s hateful gaze, “That thing is not my friend.”

He stalks away and Natasha wants to follow him but she doesn’t.

 

In his time, Nick Fury has seen and been through a lot of sticky situations. He’s fought and survived so many battles, defended Earth and formed a team – Earth’s mightiest heroes – to protect her as well.

Nick Fury has seen, fought and interrogated all kinds of men – men who want power, revenge, money, respect, fame and even love.

And though Nick Fury has seen a lot of things, he hasn’t seen them all.

This is one of the things he has never seen, this is one situation he has never dealt with.

This is Loki – a mystery, a paradox, a goddamned Rubix cube – and Nick Fury has no idea how to deal with him now.

After Thor came back from Asgard with Loki in tow, Nick had not been happy that the punishment for taking control of one of his best agent, murdering so many of his other agents and slaying innocent people without a second thought had been to stop Loki’s magic from harming people physically – a slap on the wrist if he’d ever seen one.

When Loki has first appeared, Nick had perceived him as a mentally unstable and emotionally weak, unhinged God with a whole lot of issues that needed to be resolved. All the pent-up rage that Loki had held, for what must have been centuries, had made him wild and inconsolable but also easy to manipulate; made it easy to lose himself in that anger and reveal his secrets.

But now… the Loki they’re dealing with doesn’t have a care for anyone or anything; not even himself. Because of this – this carelessness for all that exists – Loki has strengthened emotionally.

Nick knows that Loki still harbors a great and festering hate for them, for those he grew up with and for those of his home planet. He knows that Loki wants to exact his revenge on those who have wronged him or for his ‘imagined slights’ as Thor calls them.

Nick knows this better than anyone and this why Nick also knows that Loki will not stop until the waves of anger drown the land and his thirst for revenge is sated. Only then will his anger ebb away; leaving nothing but broken homes and only then will he have quenched this almost mindless need for revenge.

There are few that can rein their anger in; control their thirst for revenge, and now Loki is one of them.

And this makes him all the more dangerous.

To top the poisonous icing on a cake already oozing with venom, Loki has either turned into a child or is playing another trick. And to top the already venomous, poisoned-icing covered cake with a toxic cherry, Nick can’t tell – for the life of him – which of these options is true.

They’ve already been trapped in a cell, growing hungry from lack of food and now they have nothing but to eat but a poisoned-icing, venomous cake with a toxic cherry on top.  
And Nick can’t handle this right now. He’s still busy trying to recuperate and compensate for all the damages that Loki caused three years ago, “The kid stays here.” Nick yells over the voices that have filled the hall.

It’s quiet for the second before the hall erupts with protests.

“Nay, I will take Loki back to Asgard; that is where he belongs, that is his home.”

“Do think that’s wise, Director? Agent Barton won’t like this.”

“That’s it. I’m going back to India.”

“No way, he is not staying in my building.”

“Tony, he’s just a kid. What’s he ever done to you?”

“You cannot confine me with these abysmal creatures! I refuse to stay here! Let me go or suffer the wrath of the All-Father!”

“I agree with Agent Romanoff, Sir. The child will be in a significant amount of danger if he remains here.”

“What’s he ever… uh, he threw me out a window, Pep.”

“He did what? Why didn’t you tell me? You know, this is just like the time you were dying and you kept it a secret and the only reason I found out was because of Na-”

“ENOUGH!” Nick shouts and everyone ceases to talk, “He will be staying here and you will be taking care of him. Is that clear?”

The people in the hall mumble their hesitant agreement.

“I said ‘is that clear’?”

“YES!” they call out in unison.

“Good.” Nick turns and starts walking away, “If there are any problems, contact Agent Hill.”

And then he’s gone.


	8. I Have Been Informed Of Your Name & Despite Your Lack Of Manners, It Is A Pleasure To Meet You, Agent Of Barton

There are five targets in the room and all of them have several arrows piercing through the middle; bullseye.

Clint doesn’t miss a shot. He never has and he never will.

With a ‘whoosh’, another arrow pierces through the fifth target.

Clint hears the door open and pauses for a second. From the sound of the footsteps, he can tell that it’s Natasha who stands behind him. He stretches his arm towards the quiver on his back and discovers that he’s run out of arrows.

This is impossible because Clint knows he put twenty arrows in the quiver and so far he’s only shot nineteen.

Whirling around, Clint’s gaze falls on Natasha. She’s holding the last arrow; one finger tracing over the arrowhead. She glances past him; to the targets, and walks towards them. Clint’s eyes remain on her as she lifts an arm up to run her fingers over the feathers that make a part of the fletching.

“He’s staying, then?” Clint asks but the way he says it makes it seem like a statement.

Natasha doesn’t look at him when she answers; “Yes.”

A growl tears free from Clint’s throat and he walks up to Natasha. She meets his eyes then, looking at him between the arrows that separate them.

“Why?” Clint wants to know. 

“Director Fury seems to think we can handle him.”

It’s an automatic reflex when Clint slams a fist on the wall. He leans forward until the tip of his nose is just a millimeter away from the arrow that is closest to him.

“You can’t let him do this to you.” Natasha says before Clint can speak.

Clint blinks and it’s as if that small movement has cleared his head. He listens as Natasha whispers to him with fiercely blazing eyes and words spoken like snake venom and said as coolly as winter breeze.

“You’re a good agent, Clint, one of the best but this… this situation… it’ll interfere with your emotions. It’s a distraction you need to ignore. Yes, I know why you’re not happy about this. I get it. But I don’t see anyone else jumping for joy either.”

“Apart from Thor.” Clint cuts in.

“Apart from Thor.” Natasha agrees with a small smile, “So, we have two ways to go about this. We can either walk around; fuming and raging or we can wait. Wait until he slips up and then you can let loose.”

Clint lowers his arm and feels the tension in his shoulders slip away; “And if he really is a kid?”

“Then he’s a kid.” Natasha shrugs; she takes one of his hands into hers and places the arrow in his palm gently, “We’re all in here for redemption, a second chance; maybe this is his.”

Curling his fingers around the arrow, Clint watches as Natasha heads towards the door.

“Don’t let this turn out like Budapest.”

For the first time since Loki’s arrival at the Mansion, a smile forms on Clint’s lips; “I thought you liked how things turned out in Budapest.”

Natasha smiles as well; “I did.” she admits, one foot out the door, “But that doesn’t mean I want to go through all of that again just for one kiss.” her smile widens and then slowly fades; “I’ll see you later.”

She closes the door softly and Clint stands there, for a few seconds; staring into space. He snaps out of his reverie and begins to pull the arrows from the targets.

As soon as he’s done, Clint goes up to his room for a well-deserved and needed sleep.

 

Tony watches as Pepper lies down on the bed, waiting for him.

He’s trying to get ready as fast as he can but the cellophane keeps on melting and fusing with the arc reactor and he has to keep peeling it off which is really, really hard to do while he’s wearing the suit.

“I’m going to sleep, Tony.” Pepper calls out.

“Wait!” Tony holds up a hand, trying to get the cellophane off the arc reactor once again, “Just wait a few more minutes. I’m almost finished.”

He hears Pepper sigh from where he’s standing – in the walk-in-wardrobe – and doubles his efforts in trying to remove the last pieces of cellophane from the electromagnet around the arc reactor.

When the last remnants of the cellophane have been peeled off, Tony reaches for a piece of paper – he’s pretty sure that it’s one that Pepper needs for her meeting tomorrow, but oh well – and cuts it into a circle before placing it over the arc reactor.

It doesn’t catch fire or melt.

Success!

He puts a piece of cellophane over it and the paper prevents it from melting.

Double success!

“You ready for this?” he asks Pepper, poking his head out from the wardrobe.

“I’m going to sleep.” Pepper warns him.

Tony decides not to wait for an answer to his question and steps out of the wardrobe.

For a second, Pepper’s facial expression reveals that she was expecting something amazing or nice and something that was most definitely not this.

She’s known Tony for years; she shouldn’t expect such things from him.

Pepper’s voice is flat and her expression matches her tone, when she asks; “Are you trying to aggravate him on purpose?”

“Do you think it’ll work?”

She gives him ‘The Look’. It’s a look that only Pepper can pull off and Tony grins.

“I don’t even know why you do this.” she finally says.

Tony pretends to think for a second but the answer is simple really; “Uhh… because it’s fun and because I can.”

Pepper rolls her eyes and pulls the blanket up to her shoulders; “You are so immature.”

Tony takes it as a compliment and heads for the door.

“Where are you going?” Pepper asks from the bed.

“Get some sleep.” Tony tells her and then grins, “I have to do something.”

 

Natasha’s words fade from Clint’s mind when he finds Loki, lounging in one of the many living rooms that the Mansion has, the next morning.

He’s holding a book; ‘Introduction to Quantum Physics’, in one hand and absentmindedly scratching the top of his head with the other.

“What’re you doing, kid?” Clint asks.

Loki’s eyes flick up to him and then back down; “What it looks like I’m doing… I’m reading.” his eyes turn back to the book; “You and your kind are fascinating creatures. Have you ever read this book before?”

“No.” is Clint’s flat reply.

Loki snaps the book shut and Clint does not – most definitely does not – jump at the sudden movement. He’s a trained assassin for God’s sake; kids don’t scare him.

“I apologize for being so rude yesterday.” Loki continues, apparently unaware of Clint’s mild panic attack that did not happen, “My brother has lifted the veil of confusion from my mind and explained to me what has happened.”

If Thor had really explained then Loki wouldn’t be this happy, Clint thinks, so Thor has definitely lied.

The kid stands up; “I am Loki Odinson, brother of Thor Odinson, son of Frigga and Odin All-Father.” he bows down and looks at Clint as if expecting him to do the same.

This is no way in Hell that Clint will bow to him.

It takes a moment for Loki to realize this and when he does, he mutters something about the strange traditions of Midgardians, “You do not need to introduce yourself…” he says with a lordly wave of his hand, “I have been informed of your name and despite your lack of manners, it is a pleasure to meet you, Agent of Barton.”

Clint’s brain doesn’t register what Loki has said for a few seconds and when it does, Clint furrows his brows and blinks in confusion; “Wait… what?

“You are the Agent of Barton, are you not?” Loki sits back down and resumes reading the book again.

“No… no, I’m Agent Barton.” Clint tries to explain to the kid; emphasizing his title and name, “Not the Agent of Barton.”

“Why, Agent Barton is just silly!” Loki exclaims; putting the book down, “If someone is an agent of darkness, they do not walk about claiming to be Agent Darkness.”

“No… listen, kid.” Clint bends down, “My name is Barton and I’m an agent so I’m Agent Barton.”

Loki refuses to believe him and Clint wants to shake him until he stops calling him Agent of Barton.

“I already know your name.” Loki insists as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, it’s Clint Barton.” Clint informs him at the same time as he says; “It’s Legolas.”

“What?”

Loki looks at him as if he has three heads, “Its Legolas.” he repeats in a much slower voice.

Clint shoots up and, with a blank mind; he heads straight for the bar.

He is going to murder Stark.

 

Stark isn’t in the bar as Clint first suspected

He searches and scours the Mansion until he finds Stark in one of the kitchens.

But Clint can’t kill Stark – and why in the world is he wearing that? – because it seems like Rogers will do it for him.


	9. Breaking My Heart While He's Breaking My Neck

Much earlier in the morning, Steve had woken up from the sweetest of dreams that had turned into the worst of nightmares; he was dancing with Peggy when the floor beneath them had collapsed, taking Peggy with it.

Steve had gone down to the gym for a two-hour workout session to clear his mind and improve his skills and his strength.

One could never stop training.

He had punched all the boxing bags that were stocked up in the gym until they fell from the hook or ripped apart and then he’d done some other regular exercises before heading up to the kitchen, where he is standing right now.

The kitchen is a place filled with new technology that Steve still needs to get used to.

The refrigerator is one of those new technological things; it is way too advanced compared to the types of refrigerators that Steve had grown up with. Still, it keeps his food preserved and his protein shakes – yet another thing he had discovered in the modern world – cold.

Steve reaches for one of the protein shakes and pulls it out. He chugs down the cold drink while closing the refrigerator door with his foot and turns around to find…

Steve chokes on the protein shake and has to thump himself on the chest so he can breathe normally again.

Stark is leaning against the door frame of the kitchen door; using one arm to support himself while crossing his legs at his knees. He’s also wearing his suit – apart from the head gear – but the colors have changed from red and gold to red and white.

“What the… what’re you wearing?” Steve coughs out.

Stark’s expression remains blank but one eyebrow arches up, “Do you like it?” he asks.

Steve’s gaze narrows down onto Stark’s chest where the electromagnet rests. The usually bluish light of the arc reactor inside the electromagnet is glowing red to match the red maple leaf that is spread out across the chest plate of the now white suit.

Stark moves from the doorway and approaches Steve, “See… I figured that if you have a country to stand for and defend, why can’t I?” and Steve can see his lips twitch up as if trying to conceal a smirk, “America was already taken…” Stark continues and he’s just an inch away from Steve, “So I chose the country closest to it.”

Steve can do nothing but stare at him.

“What do you think about Captain Canada?” Stark asks him.

Steve can’t deal with this. He heads for the door but Stark continues to talk.

“Or how about Captain Iron? Nope? Canada Man, then? No?”

Steve ignores him and continues walking; when he’s at the doorway, Stark calls out to him in an imploring voice.

“Cap? Cap? Oh, come on, it’s just a joke. Captain? Steve… Steve, no seriously… wait.” Steve pauses and waits for Stark to continue; and the man does after a second, “All jokes aside, I have to ask you something.”

Steve turns around slowly and looks at Stark. His expression is one of earnest and so Steve makes the mistake of taking him seriously.

“Does my butt look big in this?” Stark asks, shifting his position so that Steve can see h-

And Steve can totally deal with this right now.

He stalks towards Stark who walks backwards until he bumps into a wall. Steve’s arm shoots out and his fingers wrap around Stark’s throat but he doesn’t put pressure on them yet.

“How does Captain Ironada Man sound to you?” Stark asks, unfazed by the fingers around his neck.

Steve’s fingers tighten around Stark’s throat but not enough to cause permanent damage or even constrict his breathing. He lifts Stark off the floor; leaving his still red, iron-clad feet dangling an inch or so above the kitchen floor.

“Wow…” Stark says in the voice of someone who isn’t being choked, “You’re really strong.”

Once more, Steve’s fingers tighten around Stark’s throat and this time, they do render his ability to breathe properly. Stark makes exaggerated choking noises as Virginia steps into the kitchen.

For a second, Steve thinks about letting Stark go but Virginia just blinks, heads for the refrigerator and pulls out a bottle of mineral water.

“Pepper…” Stark manages to say; clawing at his throat and Steve’s fingers, “Pep… help me.”

Virginia pours herself a glass and takes a sip before saying; “You deserve it.” 

Stark’s arms fall to his sides, “Oh, c’mon… please?” he begs but is plea is refused swiftly.

“No can do, Tony.” Virginia tells him while taking another sip.

“You’re breaking my heart, Pep.” Tony informs her, letting his feet dangle in midair like a child who’s sitting atop a chair and swinging their legs, “Breaking my heart while he’s breaking my neck.”

Virginia ignores him; choosing to put the bottle of mineral water back into the refrigerator before saying her goodbyes and exiting the kitchen, mumbling something about ripped papers for a meeting she needs to attend.

A few minutes after she’s left, another presence stands at the doorway.

It’s Agent Barton and he’s staring at them… well, more like glaring at Stark.

Stark stares at him for a second; with a smile on his face before asking the question; “Oh, hey… what’s up, Legolas?”

“Kill him.” Agent Barton speaks in a simple tone.

But they can’t.

Steve tightens his grip on Stark’s neck and continues to choke him for a few seconds before letting him go.

Stark falls; feet first, on the floor with a resounding ‘thud’. He places a hand around his neck as he tries to regain his breath; gasping, and sits down on the floor, leaning against the wall.

Agent Barton looks mildly disappointed; “You should’ve killed him.”

From behind him comes a high pitched voice; “Legolas… Legolas!” Loki shouts, “Agent of Barton!”

Steve doesn’t know what is going on but he’s the one that has to stop Agent Barton from launching himself at Stark.

Loki leans against a wall; panting, and then stands up straight; “Do you not know that it is bad manners to leave during the middle of a conversation?” he asks Agent Barton who is too busy trying to escape from Steve’s grasp to listen to him.

“What’s going on?” Agent Romanoff demands to know from behind Loki.

Loki jumps when he hears her speak and glares at her for a second before carrying on with his tirade of all the bad manners that Agent Barton – or the Agent of Barton – has displayed in front of him.

Steve feels like he’s trapped in a room full of crying children and all he wants to do is run away but it’s still his grip that is the only thing preventing Tony from certain death so he can’t.

Besides, Steve has faced tougher situations than this…

Agent Barton doubles his strength in his attempt to reach Stark and Loki’s yells grow louder.

Perhaps, he hasn’t faced a tougher situation that this one.

Agent Romanoff glances at Steve for an answer but he’s too busy trying to hold Agent Barton down so her eyes move towards Stark and she raises an eyebrow at the new design of his suit.

Stark looks up at her and grins, “I’m Captain Ironada Man…” he informs her in a whisper that is somehow heard over Loki’s yells at Agent Barton and Agent Barton’s threats towards Stark.

Steve lets Agent Barton go.


	10. Oh... Go Hurl Yourself At A Tree, I'm Busy

Bruce has been hiding in the lab ever since Loki turned into a child or started pretending to be one.

He thinks it’s much safer for everyone if he stays here for a few weeks or so.

The other half of him still isn’t too happy about the whole incident and Bruce thinks that if he looks at Loki – even so much as catches a glimpse of his midnight black hair – the other half of him will burst forth and then there’ll be another Loki-sized hole in the floor that Pepper has to fix.

The last Loki-sized hole wasn’t fixed until three weeks after the Chitauri invasion, when Pepper had first laid sight on it. Tony had wanted to carve out the floor surrounding it so he could frame it and stick it on a wall or create a beautiful arch around it and claim it the holy temple of ass-kickery.

Thor wouldn’t have been happy if he’d seen either of those so it’s a good thing that Pepper had gotten that hole fixed.

Bruce turns his attention back on the Chitauri body that rests on the table, also known as Subject Number 118.

S.H.I.E.L.D had collected all the Chitauri bodies in the aftermath of the battle that had taken place three years ago. They’d destroyed all the ones that were missing any parts of their bodies or were too simply too crushed and gathered the ones with minor wounds and distributed them to the best minds in the world so they could study them.

Bruce has about two hundred Chitauri bodies and he’s cut open, taken apart, dissected and analyzed a hundred and seventeen of them, going on a hundred and eighteen now.

They’re fascinating beings, really; some kind of extraterrestrial cyborg-like creatures, a hybrid between organic beings and machines. And though they appear to be technologically advanced, their armor doesn’t cover vital spots, suggesting that they were nothing more than mindless soldiers make to kill or to be killed.

The lab door slides open and Tony stumbles in.

“Jesus, what happened to you?” Bruce asks as he covers Subject Number 118 with a white sheet.

Tony leans against a wall, he waits there for a few seconds before staggering over to a chair and slumping down. His face is covered with scratch marks and a few worrying, finger-shaped bruises are covering his neck.

Bruce tenses.

“It’s not… Loki didn’t do that, did he?”

He feels rage; a kind of rage that twists and coils around his mind, and he knows that his other side wants out.

Tony waves his hand, “Barton and the Cap, actually.”

The rage stays with him for a moment before festering down into a pool of calm anger and Bruce relaxes his shoulders; taking off the gloves he’s wearing.

“Why?”

“To tell you the truth…” Tony blinks innocently and Bruce knows he must have done something to anger them, “I have absolutely no idea.”

Bruce rolls his eyes as he wheels Subject Number 118 back into the refrigerated room in the back on the lab.

“Found anything interesting yet?” Tony calls out.

Bruce steps out from the refrigerated room; “They seem to be… I don’t know… they were somehow connected to that spaceship you destroyed.”

“I kinda figured that one out myself, Doc.”

Bruce walks towards him; “Let me take a look at your neck.” he says.

Tony looks up at the ceiling as Bruce observes his neck; touching to skin to see how badly swollen it is. It’s not as bad as it looks, in fact there’s barely any swelling at all.

Bruce squints his eyes and leans forward to take a closer look at Tony’s neck; “Is this… make-up?”

Though Tony doesn’t lower his head to look at Bruce, he does smirk and ask; “On a scale of one to ten, how real does it look?”

It looks real enough to fool Bruce and since it’s real enough to do that then it’s probably real enough to fool whoever it is that Tony’s planning to fool.

“I’d give it a fifteen.” Bruce tells him.

Tony looks down at him then, “Aw… Doc, you’re too kind.”

“I’m only giving it a fifteen since it fooled me.”

Tony ignores what he says and pushes him away before standing up; “Stop it, you’re making me blush.” he walks to the door; not limping one bit, and pauses for a second, “You know… you don’t have to stay down here.”

Bruce nods, “I know…” he turns away, “But it’s probably best if I do.”

 

Thor shoots out of bed when he realizes that Loki is not next to him. He glances around the room and when he finds no trace of his little brother; he smashes through the Mansion with Mjölnir, calling out for Loki.

When he smashes through his fifth or sixth wall, he finds Loki; sitting on chair, eyeing the wall he is facing.

“Brother!” Loki exclaims and then observes the crumbling wall, “I see you do not grow wise with age. The entrance is right there.”

Loki points to the door which Thor had missed by a hair’s distance and it falls to the floor with a creaking ‘thud’, adding more dust to the debris that was just beginning to settle down.

Loki blinks, “Well… it was right there.”

Thor rushes towards Loki and puts a hand over his shoulder; squeezing tightly, “How do you fare this morning, Loki?” he asks.

Loki waves him away, “I’m busy.”

All that Thor can see is that Loki is sitting down with his hands in his lap; wearing a grey shirt that is too large for his tiny frame. But he does not ask Loki what he is doing, although he does bring a chair beside him and sits down.

As Loki does… whatever it is that he is doing, Thor observes him.

Thor admits that he is not very good at observing but this is Loki and he’s known Loki for centuries – in Midgardian years – and he knows that Loki is a child. This is the second chance that Thor has been waiting for; a chance to start anew, his wish upon a shooting star come true and he will not waste it. And Thor knows that he shouldn’t be happy about this. He shouldn’t be happy that his little brother has lost centuries of memories, but he is. He also knows that he shouldn’t have lied to Loki about how they came to be here and what they were doing but it’s too late to tell him the truth and in this case, the truth is better left untold.

And with this brand new start, he’ll make sure that Loki feels happy, loved, wanted and needed and give him the sense of belonging that he had not received in the past.

“I need to talk to you.” the son of Barton calls from behind them.

Thor stands up and Loki moves to get up as well but Thor puts a hand upon his shoulder to still him, “You will stay here, Loki.” he tells his little brother.

Loki lets out a huff and slumps back down but he says nothing as Thor moves towards Barton.

Thor would have let Loki come with him but he does not trust the son of Barton to stay his anger around Loki. And Thor cannot take that risk; he will not lose Loki again.

“What’d you tell him?” the man of arrows demands to know as soon as they’ve left the room.

He leans against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, waiting for Thor’s answer.

Thor does not lie; “I told him that we were on a mission to help Midgard against her enemies and a powerful seiðrkonur cast a spell over him that turned him against us.” Thor pauses and the son of Barton scoffs, “He broke free from the spell and slew the seiðrkonur but with her dying breath the seiðrkonur cursed him so he’d grow young.”

By the time Thor is finished, the son of Barton has an eyebrow arched up; “He’d never believe that.” he says, “You’re blinded by the f-”

“Son of Barton, I know that Loki has hurt you, b-”

“Hurt me?” the son of Barton snarls, moving away from the wall and closer to Thor, “He didn’t hurt me! He took control of my mind and made me kill my own teammates and do you even know what that feels like?” he waits for an answer from Thor but Thor does not give him one, “Do you know what it feels like to… to have your mind taken over but you – when I killed them…” he pauses and looks away, “When I killed them, I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought these men were interrupting; a little hiccup in the boss’s plans and so they deserved to die. No… Loki didn’t hurt me. He tore my mind open and made me believe things; made me do things that I never would have done, and he made me enjoyed it. So excuse me if I don’t fall for his tricks.”

The son of Barton storms off after his tirade and he leaves Thor in the hall, staring after him. After his figure disappears from Thor’s gaze, Thor walks back to where Loki is now staring at the wall and sits down.

Loki glances at him and then resumes staring at the wall; “I’m observing my surroundings.” Loki explains without taking his eyes off the wall.

“You are staring at a wall.” Thor tells him.

“I’m observing my surroundings carefully and with great attention to minor details.” Loki corrects him.

“You are still staring at a wall.”

“Oh… go hurl yourself at a tree.” Loki snaps, “I’m busy.”

Thor grins.

Conversations like this remind him of their younger years… well, his younger years now that Loki is a child.

Loki would always refuse to spend time with Thor, claiming that he was too busy and Thor would have to pull him away from whatever he was doing and drag him outside; forcing him to spend time away from his quarters and the dreadful library. They would spend time in the sparring hall with the Warriors Three and Lady Sif and Loki remain tight-lipped until the six of them left the sparring halls in search for something adventurous to do. He’d grow even more tight-lipped then, until Thor eventually allowed him to leave or until he grew bored and frustrated enough to walk away.

Thor frowns.  
He wonders now if it was his ever-demanding and ever-imposing presence that festered Loki’s hate to such unimaginable heights.


	11. Tell Em' To Suit Up... We're Heading To Germany

Tony wanders amiably down the corridor.

He’d left the lab an hour ago, allowing Bruce some peace and quiet, and gone to the workshop. The workshop where papers upon of papers have been organized into folders and then piled into a neat stack sit atop his desk. Papers from Stark Industries that Pepper wants him to review. They’ve been sitting there for over two weeks and Tony can’t stand to look at them. He wants Dum-E to burn them all… actually what he really wants is to set the papers on fire and watch them blacken and curl and then allow Dum-E to use the fire extinguisher on them.

But Pepper would kill him if he tried and so, he’d left before giving into temptation and is now stuck wandering around the corridors of the Mansion until something – anything, please – happens.

He passes by half shut – or half open, put it whatever way you want – door and spots Pepper, the Captain, Barton and the brat lounging in sofas, watching TV.

And, oh yes, this is the golden moment; a perfect opportunity.

He stops walking, ruffles his clothes around a bit and staggers into the room, making sure that the door swings wide open and slams against the wall as he steps inside.

All eyes turn to him and take in his battered form. Then, after a few seconds, Loki’s eyes slide back to the TV and Barton’s eyes shift back to Loki; watching the kid like a hawk. Pepper makes a move to get off the sofa but the Cap is faster. He jumps off the sofa and starts to move to where Tony stands.

Tony groans and sways from side to side before allowing his knees to give way so that he can fall back. But before his head has a chance to make acquaintances with the floor, the Cap catches him in his arms.

“Oh God, Tony!” his worried voice pierces Tony’s eardrums and he begins firing questions at Tony without pausing for breath; “Tony, are you okay? What happened? Who did this? Can you hear me?”

Pepper eyes him for a second and through her careful gaze, she can see through the make-up covering his neck and the pathetic groans coming out from his mouth. The concern on her face is replaced with a narrow-eyed glare as she settles back into the sofa.

“We need to get him to Banner.” the Cap calls out, “Barton, get a stretcher or something. I don’t think it’s safe to just pick him up.”

Through his half-closed eyes, Tony sees Barton not move an inch from his position. Rude. Tony will have to get his revenge later.

“Barton, are you listening?” the Cap asks him, “We need a stretcher, find one.”

Once more, the Cap’s command is ignored in favor of glaring at the kid. Tony feels like dropping his ruse just to inform Barton one thing; that no matter how hard and long he glares, the kid will not spontaneously combust. But the Captain is still pleading with him, begging him to stay awake, and holding him and Tony’s having too much fun getting him worked up to bother with Barton. Tony groans once more and rolls his eyes before closing them. This movement heightens the Cap’s worries and Pepper has to intervene before the Cap actually loses it.

“He’s just playing with you, Steve.” she says in a flat tone, cutting through the Cap’s panicked voice.

After processing Pepper’s words, the Cap stops shaking Tony and leans in to inspect the bruises that cover his neck. Tony can feel the surprisingly soft pads of fingers brush against his neck, running over all the make-up that’s caking Tony’s neck.

“It’s not… swelled up.” he realizes as he continues to poke and prod the bruise on Tony’s neck.

Tony feels like sitting up and saying ‘astute observation, Cap’, but he remains in the Cap’s arms, occasionally groaning and making small, pained movements and expressions.

“It’s probably make-up.” Pepper tells him.

Tony’s head hits the ground when the Cap releases his hold on Tony and stands up.

“Ow…” Tony sits up, rubbing his head, “That’s gonna leave a bruise.”

The Captain is looking down at him with the most righteous glare that Tony’s seen in his entire life and he’s got his arms crossed and is most likely waiting for an apology that he will never get. Tony stands up and brushes off imagined specks of dust from his clothes while informing the Cap that he would never receive an apology from him.

Even after receiving this bit of information, the Cap continues glaring at him. Tony ignores him and sits down next to Pepper while the Cap walks out of the room. Pepper swats him away when he tries to give her a kiss and glares at him as well.

“Pepper, please.” Tony manages to rest his head on her shoulder, “I’ve been glared at enough today.”

“You deserved to be glared at.” she tells him but doesn’t move away, “Steve’s going through a really tough time right now, Tony.”

“Who’s Steve?” Tony asks just to aggravate her.

Really, Pepper needs to stop knowing all these first names of random men and even if she does know their entire name, she needs to stop being on a first name basis with them.

“I’m serious, Tony. Leave Steve alone. I know you’re just acting up because you’re worried but d-”

Tony lifts his head off Pepper’s shoulder; “I’m not worried.” he cuts in because he’s totally not worried.

“You kind of are, Tony.” Pepper insists, “You always act up when you’re worried.”

“Yes but this time, I’m acting up for the sake of acting up.” Tony tells her.

A dull look crosses Pepper’s face and she raises an eyebrow at him. Tony looks away from her. He sees Loki playing with the remote and jumping when he presses a button and the channel changes. Barton eyes Loki, not moving an inch, apart from the movements that his breaths cause. When Tony looks back, Pepper still has that expression on her face.

“Okay…” Tony sighs, “Maybe I am a little worried.”

“I know you are.” Pepper puts a hand over his, “But you have to stop acting up… or at least stop acting up when Steve’s around.”

But the Captain is so fun to tease and he gives the best reactions out of everyone who resides in the Mansion.

Pepper is too used to his antics and she’s gone most of the time anyways, just like Rhodes who barely visits. J.A.R.V.I.S is used to Tony as well and besides, he’s an AI; it’s not the same. Barton will attack Tony if Tony does anything to him so that’s a no go. Natasha doesn’t even get affected so there’s no point in pranking her. Everyone tells him off if he tries to tease Banner and Tony will kill himself he has to sit through another lecture on why it’s not a good idea to provoke the Doc. Thor gets confused when Tony tries to tease him and then badgers him with questions about Midgardians and their culture until Tony answers all his questions or gives him a drink. Everyone’s already lectured Tony not to provoke Loki now that he’s supposedly a kid and this was before he even did anything.

And so… the Captain is Tony’s only option.

Why can’t Pep understand that? Why can’t she just let him be?

“Promise me that you’ll stop pranking Steve.” Pepper says beseechingly; unaware that she’s digging her fingers into Tony’s shoulder blades; “Promise me, Tony.”

Tony makes the most solemn and serious face he can; “I will.” he nods.

“You’ll what?” Pepper grills him.

“I will…” Tony pauses and sits up straight, “Continue pranking the Cap until the end of days and if there’s life after that, I’ll prank him there as well.” he grins victoriously.

Pepper is not amused.

Tony sighs; “Pep… you can’t expect me t-”

“Lady Pepper!” the brat cries out and Tony groans; burying his head back into the crook of Pepper’s neck before flicking his eyes to TV, “Those creatures are not from Midgard! How did they get here?”

Loki’s pointing at a… what is he pointing at?

Tony sits up to take a closer look at the TV, not bothering to listen to the words that are blaring out from the surround sound because they’re in a language that Tony can’t understand, but Tony vaguely recognizes the place. Maybe he’s hosted a party there before.

After a few moments, Tony realizes that it’s a news station and that whatever station’s broadcasting the news is live and under attack and this is when he jerks up, “J.A.R.I.V.I.S, what language is that?”

“I’ve identified the language as German, sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S informs Tony and he freezes, “And the location of the attack as Stuttgart, Germany.”

Tony’s head snaps towards Loki and his neck cracks under the fast movement but Tony ignores the pain and calms himself because Loki is still there. He’s on the edge of the chair that he’s been sitting on, staring at the TV, totally enraptured by the scene its displaying.

“J.A.R.V.I.S, get the others.” Tony commands as he runs to get his suit, “Tell ‘em to suit up… we’re heading to Germany.”


	12. Mr Laufeyson's Current Position Is Stuttgart, Germany

Steve had been in the elevator; heading down to the gym, and still fuming when J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice called out, making him jump.

“Captain Rogers,” the robot – what did Stark say it was called? – spoke in a smooth, calm voice, “Mr Stark has requested that you suit up. There’s been a situation in Stuttgart, Germany.”

Even after three years, Steve can still remember the events that had taken place in Germany. Not just events relating to Loki but events from Steve’s past as well, although it isn’t the latter that makes his body tense and his mind stop working for a few seconds.

“What’s Loki’s location?” he asks; hesitating because he doesn’t want to know what’ll happen if Loki’s in Stuttgart.

“Mr Laufeyson has been moved to a secure location.”

Steve nods as the elevator starts moving up without him having to push any buttons. Steve knows that it’s taking him up to his floor and he waits, although a little impatiently, until the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open.

He rushes out and towards the room where his suit and shield are kept.

“And what’s everyone else’s position?” Steve questions as he takes his shirt off.

“Agent Romanoff, Agent Barton and Mr Odinson have already suited up and are waiting at the helipad. Mr Stark has gone to get Doctor Banner. They will arrive at the helipad in approximately two minutes.”

By the time J.A.R.V.I.S has finished, Steve has suited up. He reaches for his shield and runs back to the elevator. It opens automatically and when Steve gets in, it takes him up to the helipad. While he’s in the elevator, Steve rests the bottom of his shield atop his shoes and holds the top with his fingers so it doesn’t fall.

He’s thinking about the situation in a too calm fashion. Everything around him – the soft whirring of the elevator as it moves up and its white lights – is muted. He tries to form a plan in his mind and then realizes he hasn’t even asked what’s happening in Stuttgart yet.

“J.A.R.V.I.S… what’s the situation in Stuttgart?”

“The people of Stuttgart have been attacked by a number of unidentified creatures; origins unknown.”

Steve’s grip on his shield tightens and his jaw tenses for the rest of the ride. As soon as the elevator reaches the helipad, Steve lifts his shield and runs out towards his teammates. However, Steve’s run comes to a slow and stuttering stop when he sees Stark’s suit.

Stark looks at him and then frowns, “Stop pouting, Cap.” he says to Steve, rolling his eyes, “I didn’t wear this suit to aggravate you. You’re not that special.” his frown deepens into a grimace when he looks down at the maple leaf, “It was the suit that was nearest to me, that’s all.”

Steve nods and Stark orders them move into his aircraft, carefully because he’s designed it.

They file in and belt up. Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff sit at the front; their trained minds already deciphering how to work the aircraft. Stark takes a seat next to Banner who’s sitting beside Thor, rubbing the bridge of his nose because Thor won’t stop being worried about Loki.

Thor’s worries reach a whole new level when he stops worrying about Loki’s boredom and abandonment and starts worrying about Loki starving and that’s when Stark stops him.

“Don’t worry, big guy.” he says and he’s somehow managed to sneak a bottle of alcohol and a glass into the aircraft without Steve noticing or stocked the aircraft with them, “J.A.R.V.I.S can handle him. He’s safe.”

Thor still doesn’t look reassured, “You are sure of this, man of Iron?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Stark promises him, “The Mansion is well-stocked. We could be gone for a year and he’d still have enough food left over for the next Christmas feast.”

Thor looks comforted though Steve doubts if he knows what Christmas means and in the background, Steve hears Agent Barton mutter something that sound like ‘we should let him stave’ but he lets it slide.

“All is well then.” he says as his fingers brush over his hammer, “Loki will not starve and I shall slay these monsters and celebrate the nextChristmas feast with him and all of you.”

He says next Christmas like its one word and Steve thinks to correct him but Stark signals him not to and Steve really can’t deal with men who behave like children so he remains silent and moves towards Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff.

“How much longer till we get there?” he asks them, bending down.

“Stark’s created a new engine,” Barton informs him while flicking a few switches from the hundreds that surround him, “That plus the design of the aircraft means we’ll be in Stuttgart within an hour; give or take a few minutes.”

Steve nods and leaves them alone so as to not disturb their concentration.

“Stark…” he calls out, “Is your robot integrated in this aircraft?”

“Uh… first of all, it’s an artificial intelligence, not a robot.” Stark corrects him, looking insulted and Steve promises to himself that he’ll remember that, “And yes, J.A.R.V.I.S is integrated in here. He’s integrated in everything I build.”

“J.A.R.V.I.S, how many casualties do we have so far?” Steve doesn’t want to know answer but he has to.

“Insofar, the casualty count is eighteen, sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice speaks overhead and silence reigns in the aircraft as he continues, “The count does not include the bodies that are buried underneath rubble or any person filed as m-”

“Rubble?” Doctor Banner interrupts in a voice filled with panic; “What rubble?”

He sounds like he’s struggling against something and Steve knows that they have to get to Stuttgart before the other half of Doctor Banner comes out.

“The unidentified creatures have managed to take down several buildings in Stuttgart with the help of their weapons. Accounts from several people and CCTV recordings show that there were a large amount of people were in those buildings at the time they were destroyed.”

“We must move faster.” Thor’s voice is low; rumbling with anger and he’s spoken before Steve can.

“Strap your seatbelts on, gentlemen.” Agent Romanoff’s brow is furrowed as she flicks some switches and pulls a few levers. “It’s going to be a wild ride.”

 

Natasha was honing in on her shooting skills with a state of the art Glock 18 when J.A.R.V.I.S informs her of the situation. She’s the first one that arrives at the helipad; equipped with several guns and magazines. She’s wondering if she needs more ammunition when Clint jogs to her side with his crossbow strung over his shoulder.

“Seven dead civilians so far…” he murmurs as he adjusts the crossbow, “We need to get there now. Where’re the others?”

As soon as he’s said that, Thor flies in; red cape bellowing behind him as he lands beside them. His face is grim and he looks ready to kill but he says nothing.

They fall into silence and it’s not long after that, that Stark and Banner appear.

Natasha arches an eyebrow when she sees the suit that Stark’s wearing but doesn’t question him. However, he notices her questioning gaze and grimaces.

“I didn’t have time to get another suit.” he explains as Banner huffs and looks towards the sky.

“Captain Ironada Man, it is.” Clint mutters.

“Oh hello _Katniss_ , I didn’t see you there.” Stark retorts with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Clint growls but he knows better than to get in a battle of words with Stark.

Stark, however, is not someone who’d quit when the other had conceded, “Or would you prefer Merida? Y’know… that little girl from Brave.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.” Clint tells him through clenched teeth.

Thor is paying close attention to their words with a smile but he’s got a blank look on his face; like he doesn’t really know what’s going on.

“Really?” Stark looks shocked, “You haven’t watched Brave? What kind of person are you?”

Banner is leaning against the aircraft with his eyes closed. He’s probably thinking about India and how he should never have left to join the Avengers Initiative.

He’s been doing that a lot lately.

Clint replies with a hiss; “The kind of person who doesn’t watch Disney movies all day.”

Before Stark can annoy Clint further, Natasha catches his eye and gives him a pointed look; one that says ‘if you don’t stop right now, you better sleep with one eye open for the rest of your life’.

“He started it.” Stark says but he stops annoying Clint.

At this point, Rogers rushes out of the elevator. He catches sight of Stark’s suit and Natasha can tell that he can’t deal with this right now, but Stark explains why he’s wearing that specific suit before they get into the aircraft.

Natasha and Clint sit at the front; they control the aircraft because no one else can or, in Stark’s case, refuses.

The ride only takes an hour and three minutes but during that time the casualty count in Stuttgart rises from seven to eighteen and then leaping to a sudden thirty-four which sets everyone on edge.

Landing the aircraft is a problem because there is no place in the area that isn’t covered in chunks of concrete, bricks, cars and bodies.

Thor can’t take waiting and tears a hole in the aircraft when he uses Mjölnir to leave the aircraft instead of the door that was taking too long to open.

Stark complains about the damage but he flies out from the hole that Thor’s left; leaving Natasha, Clint and Rogers in the aircraft.

Eventually they manage to find an area that’s just covered in broken glass and land the aircraft before stepping out with their weapons in hand.

Stuttgart is in ruins.

Crumbling buildings, unmoving bodies, broken glass and debris surrounds them as well as the screams and whimpers of the people who’ve managed to stay alive.

Natasha continues to look around and that’s when she realizes that though the area has been destroyed, there are no signs of the unidentified creatures that attacked.

She feels a chill run down her back; an icy finger tracing her spine, causing her to tighten her grip on the guns she’s holding.

“Clint…” she whispers, “There’s something… something’s not right here.”

Clint begins to say something but J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice rings through the earpieces that they’re all wearing and though he’s talking to Stark, he’s letting his voice be heard by everyone.

“Mr Laufeyson has disappeared from the premises; Sir, however I have managed to track his position down.”

“Where is he, J.A.R.V.I.S?” Stark’s voice comes through Natasha’s earpiece.

“Mr Laufeyson’s current position is Stuttgart, Germany.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hai... long time, no updates.
> 
> Sorry??


	13. That Bastard Was Playing Them All

Clint knew it.

He knew that Loki hadn’t turned into a kid; knew that that bastard was playing them all. And yet, he had still let his guard down.

God dammit!

Someone – _anyone_ – should have remained at the Mansion to keep an eye over him.

J.A.R.V.I.S was useless – _defenseless_ – against a trickster God. He was just a machine and Loki had hacked into the artificial intelligence before. Clint should have known he’d do it again.

“Keep a sharp eye everyone.” Rogers commands, tense and ready for action; “And spread out.”

Clint steadies his aim and moves very slowly, eyes taking in every single detail of his surroundings. He hears a soft moan from behind a large block of concrete and creeps towards it; arrow aimed and ready to be released.

It’s just a man.

He almost screams when he sees Clint aiming at him but manages to calm himself down. Clint keeps his aim steady; he knows that Loki can change his appearance and he will not be caught off guard again.

“Please…” the man whimpers in an accent, “Please… don’t shoot me.”

By assessing the man’s expression and body language, Clint comes to the conclusion that this man isn’t Loki and lowers his bow.

The man looks relieved.

“Can you walk?” Clint asks him.

“No… my leg…” the man points to his left leg and even though it’s covered with jeans, Clint can tell its resting at an odd angle; “It is broken, I think.”

Clint places his bow on the ground and kneels down, “Yeah, it is.” he places three fingers on the leg and presses down slightly; the man hisses, trying to jerk away and Clint lets out a sharp exhale; “Buddy, you’re gonna have to stay here. Do you know happened? Where’re the attackers?”

“I was… at…” the man pauses, trying to find the proper words in English so he can explain the events that took place, “Shopping… hear a bang and ran. Rock fall on leg…” he points to his left leg again, “And I move behind here… hide. Attackers go… run to square.”

Clint knows that it’s the same square where Loki had been caught three years ago.

Clint stands up, picking his bow off the ground and looks around; “Don’t try to move.” he tells the man, “Make as less noise as you possibly can. I’ll be back to help you later.”

The man nods determinedly and Clint pokes his head out from a side of the concrete so he can see what’s going on.

Stark’s flying overhead, trying to locate the hostiles. Natasha’s just crept into a building with two M93 Raffikas in each hand. Banner’s checking up on the injured people on the ground. The Captain’s helping all the people that are still able to move find to a safer place and Thor’s lifting huge chunks of debris from the broken buildings where he can hear people crying out.

“The hostiles…” Clint whispers and he pulls an arrow through his bow, “They’re at the square.”

“Already checked,” Stark’s gritty voice comes through Clint’s earpiece as he’s moving towards the square, “There nothing th-”

“Stark?” Clint pushes the earpiece further into his ear, “Stark, do you copy? God dammit!”

He looks towards the sky. Stark is still flying around.

Clint whispers Natasha’s name; she doesn’t reply, calling out the Captain, Banner and Thor’s name have the same results.

The comms are down then, and the earpiece is just a useless object stuck in his ear. Clint pulls it out and glares at it like it’s to blame before throwing it away.

Why can’t S.H.I.E.L.D ever build a communication device that doesn’t go down in times of need?

The same thing happened in Budapest.

You’d think a secret, multi-billion dollar corporation who have the world’s best minds working for them would have built better communication devices by now or at least invested in them.

Cursing S.H.I.E.L.D silently, Clint moves towards Rogers; he’s the closest one to him.

“Cap?” Clint murmurs and Rogers freezes, shield held over his chest, “On your left.”

Rogers turns and stops Clint; “The comms are down.” he states.

Clint nods and moves beside him. Reassured with another pair of eyes watching out for their backs, Clint and Rogers head towards the square and just as Stark said; there’s nothing there.

The Cap signals him to split up. Clint moves to the left and he’s just taken eight or so steps away from Rogers when something barely visible rushes past his face, hits a building and shatters.

Clint stares at the thing for a millisecond and then ducks behind a bench; breathing hard. As soon as he’s behind cover, another one of those object flies above his head.

“Christ…” Clint exhales and searches for Rogers from his position.

He spots the Cap behind a pile of bricks, looking bewildered and is so concentrated on trying to signal him that he almost doesn’t hear the ‘crunch’ of leaves a feet away from him.

Reacting quickly, Clint fires an arrow towards the area where the sound came from and waits.

A second later, his arrow stops moving in midair. Clint pulls out another arrow. A few seconds later the arrow jerks down, still in the same position. Clint steadies his aim. Another second later, a creature flickers into being before Clint’s eyes; an arrow lodged in its chest.

Gleaming red eyes stare at Clint and then, the creature; already on its knees, falls face first to the ground.

The creature looks like a male. It’s almost three times as tall as Clint and blue; Clint has never seen any creature so blue before. Strange markings are carved onto its skin, short, stubby horns poke out from its bald head and one of its arms is a sharp, almost invisible blade whereas the other one looks just like a human hand… except blue.

When Clint touches the blade, he realizes that it’s ice.

Before Clint can study the creature further, another nearly invisible projectile shoots past him.

Clint rolls to safety and the projectile shatters; a few shards slide towards Clint and he realizes that they’re ice as well.

“They’re invisible!” he shouts at the Cap.

“What are they?” Rogers asks him.

He has his shield up to defend against the ice hailing down at him while trying to move forward at the same time. The ice slams against his shield and breaks into tiny, little pieces.

“How should I know?” Clint yells back.

He shoots an arrow blindly towards the seemly empty square and another one of the creatures flicker and fall, this time Clint’s arrow is piercing its throat

“Where’re the others?” he demands to know after he’s shot another arrow.

Rogers has no reply.

Clint swears and fires another arrow and he’s wondering where everyone else is as he does so.

A thought comes to mind and makes him freeze.

What if they’ve been caught?

_No, Natasha never gets caught and Stark’s too smart enough not to_ , he reassures himself; trying to calm his mind down, _Thor’s a God plus he has his hammer and there’s no need to worry about Banner; he can Hulk out whenever he wants._

But if they’re not caught then why aren’t they here?

Only one conclusion – one name – comes to Clint’s mind; Loki.

He stops his train of thoughts – because if he keeps thinking like this, he’ll lose his concentration – and starts shooting.

Both Clint and the Cap are trapped in their positions for another five minutes; but it seems like half an hour, until Thor slams down beside Clint, leaving a dent where he lands.

He spots the first creature that Clint had killed and his eyes widens.

Clint has seen Thor confused, surprised, drunk, happy, annoyed, sad and angry; he’s seen a lot of expression cross Thor’s face but he’s never seen Thor like this.

He’s afraid.

The God can’t seem to take his eyes off the dead creature. His hammer slips from his grasp and Clint is about to ask him if he’s okay when he speaks. It’s one word, a word that Clint has never heard before.

“Jötunns…”


	14. Is This Cocaine

Natasha enters the rundown building, senses heightened by the adrenaline coursing through her veins. The building is a luxurious apartment complex that’s not so luxurious anymore.

The M93 Raffikas she’s holding are fairly accurate at shooting – around eighty percent – and in Natasha’s hands, the Raffikas are at a hundred percent.

She steps over a long beam of half burnt wood and continues making her way through the building; checking and clearing every corner. So far no one has jumped or tried to shoot at her and this makes Natasha all the more wary.

There are no signs of life in the building, apart from all the broken furniture and other household objects. She spots an upside-down frame on the floor and pushes her guns into the holster around her thighs before bending down to pick the frame up while keeping her eyes on the doorway.

Taking a quick glance at the photo behind the shattered glass of the frame, Natasha determines that a family of four lived in the apartment she’s in right now; a mother, father, elder daughter who looks in her teenage years and a boy around the age of six.

Half of the apartment wall has been destroyed; its remains piling in a heap on the floor and Natasha can see an unmoving, tiny hand underneath all that rubble.

The boy’s dead then.

Carefully placing the frame on a small table that’s managed to survive the wreckage, Natasha moves towards the next apartment.

 

Bruce is helping yet another person move off the destruction on the streets when Clint’s voice comes through the earpiece.

“The hostiles… they’re at the square.”

Tony’s voice follows after Clint’s; “Already checked… there nothing th-” and then his voice is cut off.

“Tony?” Bruce says as he helps the person sit down in a relatively undamaged building, “Tony… are you there? Clint? Can you hear me? Can anyone hear me?”

There’s no answer.

This isn’t good.

The anger inside Bruce begins to roil and now is not the best time to let the other guy out. There’re people in the building; bruised and battered, and they’ll be in danger if _he_ comes out.

Bruce stumbles out of the building; still calling out the names of his teammates with no avail. It’s a relief to spot Tony hovering above a building and waves his arms around so that Tony can see him.

“What happened to the comms?” he asks as soon as Tony lands beside.

“No idea.” Tony replies, “They’re S.H.I.E.L.D tech though and S.H.I.E.L.D tech can be brought down by an amateur.”

“I hate this.” Bruce mumbles as he walks towards a woman whose arm looks like it’s been attacked by piranhas, she’d fallen on a pile of sharp ice, “I really, really hate this.”

Tony steps in line beside him; “I’m with you on this one, Doc.”

Bruce helps the woman up but she falls as soon as she’s on her feet; faint from all the blood she’s lost. Tony picks her up before Bruce can and they walk towards the building where all the people are hiding.

“Hello sweetheart,” Tony says when the woman groans, “Don’t worry you’re safe with me.”

The woman begins mumbling in German; probably thanking Tony.

“You can thank me later.” Tony tells her, “Preferably in a bed with a bottle of champagne.”

Bruce rolls his eyes and sighs, “Tony… she’s married.” he speaks after he spots the silver band with a sparkling diamond on the woman’s left ring finger.

“She can still thank me.” Tony insists.

Before Bruce can say another word, the sound of something shattering reverberates around the place and over the whimpers of the injured people. The sound is followed by more shattering and soon after that; the loud bangs from guns.

Tony puts the woman down and moves a few inches away before flying off.

Bruce steps away from the building as well; with a defeated sigh.

It’s time for the big guy to come out.

 

It’s blindingly clear to Clint that Thor knows what the creatures are.

The God picks his hammer up and starts to stand; seemingly unaware of the ice hurling towards them and Clint has to tug him down.

“Are you crazy?” he hisses, “You could’ve been killed!”

“I must find Loki.”

Clint stares at him in disbelief; “Loki?”

Thor nods, “Yes, my friend.” his eyes harden, “If Loki is truly here then he is in grave danger.”

“ _We’re_ in grave danger.” Clint snarls, “Let Loki defend himself, we need to figure out how to fight these invisible creatures.”

Thor ignores him and flies away. Clint groans and lets his head fall back against the brick wall he’s hiding behind. He’s used to working with agents who listen and cooperate, not a God who’ll fly off at any given moment.

“Pst… Agent of Barton…”

Clint’s eyes shoot open and he scrambles to get an arrow from his quiver.

Loki is sitting beside him; wearing one of Stark’s shirts and looking absolutely calm in the chaos and… he’s still a kid.

“We have to be careful.” he continues, apparently unaware of Clint’s hostility, “These are Jötunns. They’re vicious and ruthless creatures and they will not hesitate to kill you. You must not touch them, Agent of Barton; their touch will cause you great harm. My handmaidens used to tell me stories of them; they’re sworn enemies of Asgard.”

“I don’t care whose enemies they are, kid.” Clint growls.

“Ah…” Loki nods solemnly in understanding, “You only wish to kill them. Alright then… you must listen very carefully.”

“I ain’t listening to you, kid.”

His words fall on deaf ears.

“They have somehow managed to conjure a veil of invisibility around themselves.” Loki explains and it’s weird seeing a child talking like an old wizened man but Clint has seen weirder things, “I do not know if I can undo their seiðr but I have another plan.”

“Oh yeah… and what’s that?”

Loki smirks; it’s an exact replica of the smirk that his older self has, and disappears.

A few minutes later, white powder starts raining down from skies. Clint makes the mistake of looking up and suffers the consequence when the powder falls into his eyes.

It stings.

He yells out and tries to rub it away from his eyes. When the stinging in his eyes stop, Clint looks over the brick wall and realizes what Loki’s done.

The creatures – Jötunns – they’re still not visible but the white powder sticks onto their icy weapons, giving away their position.

The creatures must have realized that their invisibility spell thing is useless now and drop it.

There are around fifty of them in the square and though they’re humongous, the advantage for Clint is that they’re humongous. There is no way Clint could miss a target of that size, no one could, plus they’re barely wearing any armor.

Taking out an arrow from his quiver and pulling it through the bow, Clint smiles and shoots as the Captain’s shield flies over him and hits a Jötunn on the head; knocking the creature out.

Not much time has passed when Natasha slides beside him. She catches a glimpse of the creatures and looks shocked for a second and then pulls out two M93 Raffikas from the holster around her thigh, smiling.

“It’s show time…” she murmurs into his ear before jumping out.

Soon after that, Stark and Banner join them and the Jötunns don’t stand a chance. They’re all dead within the hour and the five of them are standing in a sea of blue.

Thor slams down beside; looking crazed with fear. He glances at the dead Jötunns and his panic heightens.

“Thanks for your help.” Stark says as he picks up a piece of ice for examination, “No really, we couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Where is Loki?” Thor demands to know; not paying attention to Stark, “Have you seen Loki?”

He’s acting like a parent who’s lost their child; it’s partly amusing and partly sad to see him like this.

Clint takes mercy on the big guy; “Loki’s fine.” he assures Thor, “I saw h-”

“Brother!” a voice exclaims from behind them.

Before they can turn around, Thor is whirling past them and gathering Loki into his arms. The kid complains loudly against such public displays of affection but Thor still takes his time in placing him back on the ground. After that, he checks to see if Loki has any injuries and then scolds him.

“You should not have left the Mansion, Loki. You should not have followed us. There was danger here, you could have been harmed.”

He’s trying to act like he’s upset and angry but comes off like a life-size teddy bear; like Ted, minus the accent and the swearing.

Loki sniffs delicately, “I can take care of myself. And if it weren’t for me, you and the Avengers Five would not have even been able to see the Jötunns.”

Behind Clint, the Hulk shifts back to Banner and the Captain reluctantly hands him his shield to cover up and maintain his dignity.

Thor smiles, “Yes, you did a great thing today, Loki.” he puts a hand on Loki’s shoulder, “But you should not have left t-”

“Brother!” Loki clutches at Thor’s arm, “The Jötunns were here!” he exclaims as if he’s just realized this, “How did they get here? How were they invisible?”

Thor frowns and he forgets about scolding Loki as he thinks about the Jötunns. Loki smiles to himself in satisfaction; probably glad to escape a lecture from his older brother.

The faceplate of Stark’s suit pops up and he reaches down to pick up some of the white powder from the ground; he rubs it between two fingers before taking a sniff.

“Is this…” he sniffs the powder again, “Is this cocaine?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for updating so late. It's just that I was seriously considering whether or not I should rewrite this story to make it compliant with all the movies that have come out. In the end I decided against it and then I looked back on the work. And realized I didn't like my writing style so I thought about rewriting the whole thing but no. Just no. I've got thirty-seven badly-written chapters and I didn't want to suffer the pain of editing them all.
> 
> I resolve to continue updating this weekly (maybe, I'll try my best I promise) and I apologize to anyone who's still reading this. Forgive me.


	15. What On Earth Happened To Your Arm

Steve tries to clench his fingers in an attempt to form a fist, try being the keyword. His entire right arm – from the tip of his fingers to his elbow – is stiff, cold and totally numb. He tries once more but it feels like the joints in his fingers are super-glued in that position.

He had just thrown his shield at one of the creatures – given the name Jötunns or Frost Giants by Thor and Loki – when another one of them had grabbed his right arm. The brace on his arm had frozen stiff and shattered. It felt as if a blast of freezing cold wind – so cold that it burned – had blown through his arm.

The pain was almost unbearable but luckily for Steve, his shield came hurtling back and crashed against the creature’s head; knocking it off its feet. And even luckier was that the battle had ended soon after that.

When Steve had glanced at his arm, he realized that it was the same shade of blue as his suit which was worrisome but Steve didn’t feel like making a big deal out his injury and remained silent when he handed Doctor Banner his shield.

“Are you alright, Captain?” Agent Romanoff’s voice pierces through his mind.

Steve jerks down until his right shoulder is touching the table and his right arm is hidden beneath the table and forces a tight smile on face, “I’m fine.”

Agent Romanoff nods warily and gazes at him for a few second longer. Agent Barton puts a hand over hers and she turns her attention to him.

As soon as the battle with the Frost Giants was over, they’d found Doctor Banner some pants from an empty store where Stark had refused to pay until he couldn’t take anymore of Steve’s insistence and thrown three hundred dollar bills on the counter. After that, the seven of them had staggered over to the nearest, least damaged café they could find and dropped their tired bodies into the chairs.

A young girl – barely out of her teens – had been hiding behind the counter but once she’d seen them, she was happy to serve them with food and drinks. It was just as well, everyone had been starving.

In fact; Thor still is.

The God had been mildly disappointed to hear that the café didn’t serve Poptarts but had happily munched through several pancakes, eight pieces of buttered toast and two chocolate muffins but his hunger still wasn’t sated.

The waitress has been making eyes at him in the beginning but now she is just glancing at him with surprise and slight disgust.

Steve sighs and resigns himself to having a frozen arm; he hopes that the frostbite will fade away soon. If it doesn’t fade within the hour, he’ll have Doctor Banner take a look at it.

“Was it not a most glorious battle?” Loki exclaims; excitement lights up his face and Steve has never seen him be so open with his expressions; “Brother, it was a most glorious battle, wasn’t it?”

Thor just nods as he’s too busy to talk while eating his third chocolate muffin. He’d been reprimanded by his younger brother about table manners earlier, when he’d spoken over a mouthful of his fifth buttered toast.

Not satisfied with Thor’s nod, Loki turns to Agent Barton for an answer; “Was it not a most glorious battle, Agent of Barton?”

Stark smirks behind his cup of coffee – thank God, the café didn’t have a supply of alcohol – when Agent Barton purses his lips and clamps a hand over Agent Romanoff’s; his nose flaring in annoyance.

“Did you not hear me, Agent of Barton?” Loki frowns and peers at the archer over the table; “Was it not a m-”

“Yeah, it was.” Agent Barton snaps; glaring at Stark as he spits outs the words, “It was a most glorious battle, kid.”

Satisfied with Agent Barton’s answer, Loki leans back into his chair with a smile and resumes eating his mint ice cream and sipping his green tea. Steve has a feeling that he’d chosen those two things because one was green and the other had the word green in it.

A limousine parks next to the café and Mr Hogan and Colonel Rhodes step out from it.

“Ah… Happy, Rhodey! You guys made it.” Stark waves them down, “Sit down, have a sniff of this.”

He holds out a handful of the white powder from earlier in his palm and Steve narrows his eyes as Mr Hogan cautiously sniffs the powder.

“Tony…” Colonel Rhodes gives a weary sigh; “It’s illegal to have cocaine in Germany.”

Steve sighs as well; “I thought I told you to get rid of that.”

Stark turns his head towards Steve with a lazy movement; “Well I’m keeping it.” he gives Steve a short smile before clarifying why he needs the substance; “It’s for evidence.”

“Then stop trying to drug Happy and put it in a bag or something.” Colonel Rhodes tells him.

Stark doesn’t listen to him; he chooses, instead, to urge Mr Hogan to eat some of the white powder and Colonel Rhodes has to resort to extreme measures to stop him. Extreme measures being slapping Tony’s hands and pulling Mr Hogan away simultaneously.

“Happy, don’t eat that.” he commands while glowering at Tony; “And Tony… I swear to God, I will not hesitate to tell Pepper that you tried to drug Happy.”

Tony makes a snide remark in the Colonel’s direction but does lower his arm before Happy can touch the powder.

“We need to send someone over to clean up the streets and help the injured people.” Steve states.

“I’ll stay here until a medical team comes.” Doctor Banner offers, “Just need a few medical supplies.”

Colonel Rhodes shakes his head, “No need, Doctor. The medical team arrived five minutes ago. They’ve already set up at the square-”

“The… the Jötunns are at the square.” Agent Barton cuts in.

“Not anymore.” a voice calls out from behind them, making everyone jump.

Apart from Stark, Thor and Loki; everyone stands up as Director Fury steps into the café. A moment later, Loki hops off his chair, nudging Thor so that he stands up as well.

“S.H.I.E.L.D agents arrived at the scene half an hour ago; all traces of the Jötunns have been cleared from the area.”

“Director Fury.” Agents Romanoff and Barton murmur in unison, nodding their heads in greeting.

The Director nods back; “As S.H.I.E.L.D agents, you should be on your guard at all times.” he takes a seat, “If I was a hostile, you’d all be dead.”

Stark feels the need to add something to conversation and says; “Except Banner.”

“And my brother!” Loki cries out but his voice goes considerably softer and squeaker when Director Fury turns his gaze on the young God; “My brother can never be defeated in battle…”

“Oh my God!” Mr Hogan shouts out and everyone – including the Director – jumps as he reaches out to Steve; “Jesus Christ, what on Earth happened to your arm?”

His fingers barely touch Steve’s right arm but it feels like a thousand tiny blades are piercing his skin.

“Ah…” Steve can’t stop his hiss of pain; he pulls his arm away from Mr Hogan’s grasp, “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

Everyone is looking at him now. Steve feels like hiding beneath the table.

“That is not nothing.” Loki says as he clambers over the table; not caring about the cutlery, food and drinks under his hands and knees, and sits beside Steve; “And you most definitely are not fine.”

Thor peers at Steve’s arm and nods grimly; “Loki is right. Your skin has been scalded by a Jötunn’s touch. We need to find a seiðrkonur before the frost bite claims your limb.”

Claims his… panic shoots through Steve’s already frazzled nerves but he remains clam on the outside.

“I can heal him!” Loki screams excitedly, “Let me heal the Captain. Brother please, you _must_ let me heal him.”

Thor frowns; “Loki, you are not well-versed in the healing arts and your knowledge of seiðr must have lessened now that you are a child.”

Loki pouts; “Brother please… will you not let me try?”

Thor glances at Steve’s arm and then back to Loki; “Very well, you may try.” and then, as a hasty afterthought, he adds the words; “But you may only try once.”

Loki grins and looks up at Steve with a serious expression; “Do I have your consent to attempt at healing your wound, Captain?” he asks.

Steve wants to say no.

They still haven’t determined if Loki is a child or not but one look at his innocent and unguarded expression weakens his resolve and he gives Loki the permission to heal his arm; hoping that he won’t lose it in the attempt.

The young God takes Steve’s arm in his small palms; Steve readies himself to feel the sting he felt when Mr Hogan touched him but the sting doesn’t come.

“Does it hurt?” Loki asks him; a look of pure concentration on his face.

Steve’s about to say no but catches Thor nodding his head with pleading eyes and answers; “Yes… um, yes it stings.”

Thor stops nodding; looking relieved, and mouths a silent thanks to Steve. Clearly, this will be something that they will discuss later.

“This will take but a moment.” Loki murmurs.

A green light encases the place where Loki’s fingers meet Steve’s palms in a sphere that grows an inch or two bigger before returning to its normal size and repeating the process for a few minutes.

The look of concentration slowly dissipates from Loki’s face and is replaced by a self-satisfied smile.

And then, the glowing sphere spans out suddenly, throwing everyone off balance and blowing them away as the café collapses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me for my lateness.


	16. We Couldn't Find Director Fury... & We Couldn't Find Loki Either

A blur is the first thing that Tony sees. A scream is the first thing that Tony hears. A whiff of coffee is the first thing that Tony smells. A few specks of dust floating onto his lips are the first things that Tony tastes. A wooden beam from the café ceiling crushing his chest is the first thing that Tony feels.

He coughs and lifts his head up. His eyes feel extremely tired and his lids are like two ton weights that Tony can’t keep up. He glances around the wreckage though his movements are constricted by the beam on his chest.

Lots of things could have managed to survive the blast but Tony would never have guessed, never in a million years, that his cup of coffee would be one of them. The cerulean blue ceramic cup is resting atop the beam on his chest and Tony wonders how it got there.

“Is everyone okay?” a voice calls out; it’s muffled and slow.

“That little prick… I swear to God I’m gonna kill him.”

That would be Barton… Legolas; Agent of Barton… Agent of Barton-ness?

That doesn’t sound right.

“No, you’re not. Thor would kill you if you lay hand a on him.”

Ah, the seductive voice of reason; the lovely Agent Romanoff. Dimly, Tony wonders if he can ever convince Pepper to wear a suit like the one Agent Romanoff wears.

Of course he already knows the answer; a dull and weary ‘no’.

A loud booming noise sounds through the room followed by heavy breathing.

“Brother! Loki, where are you?”

Another booming noise rings through Tony’s ears; much closer to him than the first one.

“Is everyone okay? Is everyone o-God… Tony, are you okay?”

It takes a while to turn his head towards that voice but Tony manages. He sees a blurry face and blue eyes; Sleeping Beauty.

The voice of Thor, Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff fade as the voice closer to him; Steve, starts speaking again.

“Oh Chri-Tony’s hurt!”

Tony smiles; he wants to reach for his coffee but his hands are trapped beneath the beam as well.

It’s disappointing, really, a great shame. He hopes that the coffee doesn’t go cold.

And if it does… well… he’ll get Pepper to order him another.

God, Tony has the greatest ideas; sometimes his brain even manages to surprise himself.

Such are the woes of being a genius.

“Don’t close your eyes, Tony. Do you hear me? Do not close your eyes.”

Tony tries to listen to the voice but he can’t help it.

His head falls back onto something hard as his eyes close.

The last thought to cross his mind is: Captain Ironada Man sucks, this would have never happened to Iron Man.

 

The first thought that comes to Clint’s mind is that he will murder that little prick. He voices this thought and is told off by Natasha.

Natasha limps towards him; it’s clear that one of her legs had been damaged when the café blew up; it probably got trapped underneath a beam from the ceiling of the café or a chunk of concrete from the walls.

Clint had been lucky enough to survive the blast with minor scrapes and bruises. He’d been blown away and slammed into the counter with such force that would have knocked out a person who didn’t have training in explosives and how to deal with their destruction.

Behind them, Thor jumps out from the rubble like it doesn’t weigh a ton and goes on a frantic mission to find the little prick he calls his brother.

“We have to find the Director.” Natasha breathes outs, sitting on a slab of smooth concrete.

A few feet away, the Cap is worrying over Stark.

“You help Rogers.” Clint murmurs and when Natasha protests Clint gazes pointedly at her leg with his arms crossed; “That leg, _Agent Romanoff_ , will not be able to hold you up for longer that fifteen minutes. Go help Rogers.”

Natasha nods and limps over to the Captain who informs her that Stark has lost consciousness. Clint wants to walk over and offer help but he needs to find everyone else.

He spots Doctor Banner – Hulked out – pulling out Colonel Rhodes, Tony’s driver – what’s his name again? – and the waitress from the rubble before changing back to Banner and groaning about his nakedness. The four of them seem fine; just shaken and bruised.

Banner, of course, has no injuries whatsoever. The Colonel is dusting off his uniform. Happy – that’s the name – is looking at the waitress’s arm.

And now… the only people missing are Director Fury and Loki.

 

Whenever James is around Tony, there is always some kind of explosion or a blast or some person blowing them away with a magical flare-up… actually the last one is new.

But still, the three of them have something in common; they all throw people against something hard and destroy Humvees or a house and in this case, a café and it’s getting kinda old.

To top it off, he has a major headache that’s due to the Hulk holding him upside down for too long while pulling out Happy and the waitress.

“You okay, Happy?” James asks.

Happy nods and turns to the waitress. Tony had mentioned that Happy was an opportunist to him once. He lets Happy have his chance with the girl and stands up. Tiny specks of debris have settled onto his uniform and James dusts them off before wandering off to find something he can drink.

He hopes to God that there’s some alcohol in this café.

As James is making is way towards the counter, he spots a flash of green smoke from the corner of his eye, before he can concentrate further on the smoke, it dissipates. James rubs his eyes and stares at the area for a few seconds longer but nothing else happens.

He waves off the suspicion in his mind; it’s obvious he’s disoriented and is most likely hallucinating.

Now is not the time to lose his mind… now is the time to find some alcohol.

Christ, he’s turning into Tony. Oh well, he’ll stage an intervention to prevent the change as soon as his headache goes away and he finds some alcohol.

James later discovers; much to his dismay, that the café doesn’t stock alcohol.

 

Natasha has just finished wrapping her leg with two pieces of wood from the café chairs and Clint’s shirt when a group of S.H.I.E.L.D agents swarm the scene; Agent Hill in the lead.

Natasha stands up; ignoring the pain in her leg; “Agent Hill.” she nods in greeting.

“Agent Romanoff,” she nods in return, placing her hands on her hips with a sigh; “We heard the explosion. Came as fast as we could. What’s the situation?”

Natasha sits back down, unable to stand any longer; “Loki said he was gonna heal Captain Rogers’ wound.”

“What wound?” Agent Hill demands to know.

“Captain Rogers was injured by the Frost Giants…” Natasha sees Agent Hill’s confused expression and elaborates; “That’s what the unidentified creatures are called; Frost Giants or Jötunns…” Agent Hill nods and Natasha carries on; “Loki – he did something… magic and the café collapsed.”

“What state is everyone in?”

“Stark has a concussion. Don’t worry, Captain Rogers and I managed to wake him up. He’s fine. Captain Rogers is with him right now. Everyone else sustained minor injuries. There’s a waitress with Mr Hogan; she’s in shock. You should probably get an agent to take her to a hospital.”

Agent Hill calls out for another agent – Agent Ross – and tells him to get the waitress to the nearest hospital and then asks the question Natasha doesn’t want to answer; “Where’s Director Fury?”

“We couldn’t find Director Fury…” Natasha replies tersely and then adds, “And we couldn’t find Loki either.”

 

It’s cold; terribly cold… way too cold for it to be Germany.

Nick groans and rolls to his side.

It’s only the years of training he has that prevent him from falling off the icy cliff to his certain death.

Nick stares at the seemingly never-ending abyss he’d almost fell into before sitting up.

His body is going numb from the cold weather and his forehead is bleeding.

All that Nick recalls is the blast at the café and being thrown against a table, face first before losing consciousness.

Standing up with slow movement, Nick sweeps his eye across the land.

Great slabs of ice stretch out across the landscape, dipping down in a sudden drop; leading into dank crevices and dark abysses; like the one Nick had almost fallen into. There’s nothing but ice; ice that appears almost blue in the dim light cast by the stars in the sky.

The land is void of any life form apart from Nick; there isn’t even a hint of trees or plants growing in the harsh weather.

The soft sound of snow being crushed resonances from behind Nick and he reaches for the Desert Eagle hidden underneath his jacket; making as little movements as he possibly can but the gun isn’t there.

“Ah… Director, you’ve finally awakened.”

Nick whirls around.

And there stands Loki – he appears to be totally unaffected by the cold weather and icy landscape that surrounds them – and he's dressed in green, gold and black; an almost exact replica of the clothes Nick remembers from three years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No excuse. No apologies.  
> (I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry.)

**Author's Note:**

> Seiðr - magic in Old Norse
> 
> Seiðrkonur - women who use magic in Old Norse
> 
> Seiðrmenn - men who use magic in Old Norse
> 
> I don't know what Loki and Clint did while Clint was under the influence of the Tesseract, you can guess that yourself, guys.
> 
> I've already posted this fic on Tumblr and then on Fanfiction.net but it's the first fic I've ever posted on this website. This fic used to be one-shot but I've decided to add more chapters and cut this one into two.
> 
> Please tell me if there are any mistakes.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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